Kanna's Story: The Journey
by Redbayly
Summary: Part II of my version of Kanna's journey from North to South. In this part she makes some very interesting friends and has some adventures. I have deleted Part I and will be rewriting it, it will be reposted some time in the future.
1. Rude Awakening

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: That's right, I'm back. And welcome to the second part of Kanna's Story. This is all about her journey and the friends she makes along the way. I look forward to seeing some comments. Now, if my co-host would give the disclaimer.**

**Kanna: Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender...Wait, why am I your co-host now? Where are my grandchildren?**

**Redbayly: They said that there are some things about their grandmother that they just don't want to know.**

A Rude Awakening

"Do you think she's dead?"

"No, she's breathing."

_Urgh, where am I? Who's there? _thought Kanna.

_Smack!_

"Ow!"

"Hama, was that _really _necessary?"

"Yes. Yes it was."

Kanna sat up and looked at the two people who had stumbled upon her. One was a girl with pale skin, silver eyes, midnight-black hair that had been pulled back in a fancy hair-tie, and self-satisfied smirk that made it clear that she was a person who only _gave _orders but seldom followed them. The other was a young man with reddish-brown hair, sky-blue eyes, tan skin, and an apologetic and uneasy look. Both were dressed in Water Tribe clothes.

"Who are you?" Kanna asked.

"I'm Hama," the girl answered, "and this hopeless loser is Akeela."

Akeela gave Hama a look that just screamed _seriously?_, but Hama just ignored it and continued.

"And who might you be?"

"My name is Kanna."

"Well it's nice to meet you Kanna." Akeela said in a very friendly manner.

"I take it you two are from the Water Tribe?"

"Yep, born and raised in the South Pole." Hama answered.

"Oh, you're Southerners?"

"And, seeing as how we've never seen you before, we can only assume you aren't?" Akeela replied.

"No, I'm from the Northern Tribe."

"Huh, we've never met a Northerner before. Tell me, how big would you say your Tribe is?" Hama asked.

"I guess a few thousand people live there."

"A few thousand? We barely have one-thousand!"

"Hama, perhaps you should ask Kanna about her Tribe later, we have to finish setting up camp."

"It is set up."

"You didn't put up the tarp."

"What for? It's the dry season. And I don't see any point. Is that clear?"

"Yes Hama." he replied docilely.

Kanna was amazed at how easily Akeela gave in to Hama's orders. Such a thing would never happen in the Northern Tribe.

"Kanna would you care to join us for dinner?" Akeela asked politely.

"It would be a pleasure."

* * *

Kanna was surprised by the fact that Akeela was doing the cooking, rather than his female companion. She was also shocked by Hama's complete lack of table manners.

"What's the matter city-girl? Too prim and proper to dine with Southern rubes?" Hama asked, jokingly but with a hint of snarkiness.

"Sorry, it's just I am unfamiliar with your customs. In the Northern Tribe, women always do the cooking; and we eat a little more _delicately_ than you seem to be."

The two Southerners paused, looked at Kanna, then burst out laughing.

"Hama...cooking? Yeah that'll be the day!"

"Only if you want stomach ulcers. And...eating delicately?" Hama managed to get her laughter under control. "Listen Kanna, in the Southern Tribe you're taught to _survive_, eating like a little princess won't do you much good when you're facing the harsh Winter climate with only a hunting knife and some wild game. Honestly, what do they teach you up North?"

"Not much, unless we're boys." Kanna replied.

Hama's face went blank.

"What do you mean by _that_?"

"All my life I was told I couldn't do certain things because I'm a girl. My best friend Yugoda wasn't even allowed to learn Waterbending for the same reason."

"You mean this?" Hama asked as she summoned water from the nearby shore.

"Y-you can Waterbend?"

"No duh."

"That's incredible!"

"Well I _am_ the best Waterbender in the whole South Pole."

"You sure are, Hama." Akeela responded, a slightly dreamy look in his eyes that did not go unnoticed by Kanna.

* * *

"So Kanna, where exactly are you headed?"

"Honestly Hama, I'm not sure. But I am _never_ going back to the North Pole."

"Why is that?" Akeela asked.

"Well, besides the _obvious_?" Hama continued.

"Can I trust you both?" They nodded.

Kanna proceeded to relate to them all that had happened. Giving extensive detail about her Tribe's sexist customs and the betrothal she was being forced into.

"Why those filthy, pretentious, savages! No offense." Hama responded.

"None taken."

"No wonder you left, Kanna."

"Well, if you don't have anywhere else to go, perhaps you would care to join us on our travels?" Akeela asked.

"Good idea Akeela, we could teach her all about the Southern Tribe lifestyle, then maybe she'll at least be tougher than _you_. Oh wait, everyone's tougher than you. What do you say, Kanna? Want to tag along with us on our little excursion around the world?"

"Well, I don't want to impose..."

"Nonsense! Come on _princess_, you left that prison-cell you call a Tribe because you wanted a taste of freedom. Here's your chance. Take it or leave it."

Kanna looked at Hama's eager face, and Akeela's welcoming one and knew she had found people she could trust.

"Hama, I do believe the Southern Water Tribe has a new member."

* * *

"Wakey-wakey." Came the voice of the 15-year-old Waterbending Master who had thought it would be 'oh so funny' to wake her up with a blast of cold water.

"If you want to be a member of the Southern Water Tribe you need to be ready for anything. And you don't whine or complain like a sissy. That'll get you killed."

"Oh Hama, lay-off the newbie."

"Sorry Akeela, but princess or not we don't want a crybaby in our group. You've got that position covered."

As Hama left the tent, Akeela handed Kanna a towel to dry off.

"She doesn't mean anything by it. She just likes to play rough; but a word to the wise, she doesn't play fair and she doesn't take it easy on _anyone_. And whatever you do, do _not_ get on her bad side, she can hold a grudge longer than anyone in recorded history, and acts on them pretty viciously."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"Come _on_ you guys! We need to get on the road, so move your butts and get out here!" Hama's voice came from outside. _At least she's in a good mood today_ Akeela thought to himself.

**Redbayly: Yes! First chapter of part 2 is done.**

**Kanna: Yep, that's Hama for you.**

**Redbayly: I think I'll call it a day for now.**

**Kanna: In that case, we'll see you all tomorrow.**


	2. The Master and the Healer

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: Hi, I'm back. Sorry it took so long.**

**Kanna: It's okay dearie, you had other things on your mind.**

**Redbayly: Thanks. Would you care to do the disclaimer?**

**Kanna: Of course. Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Master and the Healer

"Ow!"

"Hama! Are you okay?"

"I'm _fine_ Akeela, some idiot just put some stupid rock in the path and I tripped on it."

"Here, let me help you!"

"I said I was _fine_!"

"Hama, that's a nasty gash, just let me..."

"Oh, alright." she murmured grudgingly.

Akeela got some water from his water-skin, and started healing the wound. Kanna watched in amazement, men _never_ learned healing in the Northern Tribe, it was considered to be 'women's work'.

"There we go, all better."

"Yeah yeah, thanks I guess.

Hama just shrugged him off and continued walking.

"Akeela?"

"Yes Kanna?"

"How is it you know healing but you don't seem to be as serious a Waterbender as Hama?"

"Oh, my father and grandfather have been the Tribe's best healers for decades. None of us ever seem to be very gifted when it comes to normal Waterbending, though. It's not a big deal. Hama has looked out for me since we were kids, she would always beat up anyone who made fun of me. And I guess, in a way, she needs me too, though she's too stubborn to ever admit she needs help. She's never been able to heal, so I guess we balance each other out."

"Then why do you let her boss you around so much?"

He shrugged, "I guess I was just born that way. I like making others happy, and I don't like conflict. You may have noticed, I'm a little bit of a...ah! a spider! Hama! kill it!"

The young Waterbending prodigy rolled her eyes, came over and stomped on the offending arachnid.

"There. Now will you two please stop lollygagging, we have to get a move on if we want to reach the Western coast by next week."

"What's at the Western coast?" asked Kanna.

"Oh, we've made plans to visit the abandoned Air Temple on the island that's not too far off." Akeela replied.

"And if we want to get there before the Spring thaw, I suggest we get _moving_!" Hama shouted.

"Hama, I'm still not so sure it's a good idea to go to a place so close to the Fire Nation."

"Akeela, the Fire Nation could care less about a place they've already attacked. In fact, the Western Air Temple is probably one of the safest places at the moment."

"If you say so."

* * *

As the three Water Tribe teens traveled, it became clear to Kanna that Hama was a little bi-polar. One minute she would be screaming at them to do things, and the next she would be very polite and would even say "please" to get what she wanted. Hama also appeared to be a little manipulative, she knew that Akeela was willing to do anything to make her happy and would use that to her advantage, occasionally even flirting with him to get her way.

"It's called 'feminine charm', Kanna. All women have it. It's a gift that the Spirits gave us, to show the men who's really in charge. And to trick those poor saps into doing our work for us. Ah-ha-ha."

* * *

Kanna wasn't sure whether or not she liked Hama, she was fun and an amazingly talented Waterbender, but she did seem a little scary sometimes. But they got along fine, even when Hama was trying to help Kanna toughen up. They _did_ occasionally have a few minor disagreements, however. Luckily, they had Akeela to act as mediator.

"Okay, I got the food and...Hey, what happened to the tent? And where's the fire?" asked Akeela.

"Why don't you ask Miss Know-it-all, Queen of the Twigs?" Hama replied.

"Oh yeah? Well you're Miss Lazy-Bum, Queen of the...Tents!" Kanna retorted, throwing one of the tent-poles at Hama.

"Okay," Akeela said, "why don't you guys just switch jobs if this is a problem?"

The two women started muttering to themselves, but followed his suggestion.

* * *

"Akeela, why don't you just tell Hama how you feel about her?"

"What? What...I...I-I mean...we're just friends!"

"Uh-huh, sure you are."

He sighed, "Is it _that_ obvious?"

"Oh yeah."

"If I told her the truth, she'd laugh at me. I mean, seriously, why would she think of me like that? No, Kanna, I can't put my friendship on the line because of how I feel about her. If I told her how I really feel about her, it might ruin our friendship and then I'd lose her completely. I just can't risk it."

Kanna looked at the young man she had started to think of as a brother, and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"You know, Akeela, destiny has a funny sense of humor."

**Redbayly: Ah, young love. Yes, I decided that Hama should have a romantic interest.**

**Kanna: They are pretty cute together. But Hama is so naive, she can't even see that Akeela is in love with her, she thinks he's just easy to manipulate.**

**Redbayly: Well, see you guys later.**


	3. The Western Air Temple

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: Yep, they're going to the Western Air Temple. And there is a new character who will be introduced in the next chapter.**

**Kanna: I think you all will like the new character. **

**Redbayly: I'm sure they will, but now...**

**Kanna: Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Western Air Temple

"Look!" Hama shouted, pointing to the giant landmass.

As Hama piloted the boat, Kanna and Akeela looked up in awe at the mountainous region.

"So where exactly is the temple?" asked Kanna.

Akeela looked at the map.

"Hm..it doesn't say. I guess we'll have to find it ourselves."

* * *

The island was fairly large, with long and rocky paths. Akeela's healing abilities came in handy more than once. Soon the trio came to a large plateau, that overlooked a deep canyon.

"We've looked all over this island! And for what?" Hama shouted, it was clear she was not happy.

"Maybe we're looking in the wrong place?" asked Akeela.

That was when Kanna was struck with an idea.

"That's it! The reason why we can't see it is because the Air Nomads didn't _want_ it to be seen."

She was met by puzzled looks.

"Don't you get it? The temple is right under our feet! Literally!"

* * *

"I hope you're right about this Kanna. That's the only rope we have. And if it gets damaged..."

"Oh Hama, you worry too much." They had fastened the rope to a sturdy rock and dangled it over the edge of the precipice.

"Are you sure you can do this? Do you have any experience climbing down canyon cliffs?"

"How hard could it be?"

* * *

Truth be told it was terrifying. Kanna wasn't sure if she _could_ hold on. But suddenly, she seemed to hear Pakku's voice in her head, _See, I know you can't do it. Because you're a__** girl**__, and girls can't do anything._

"I'll show _you_ who can't do anything." Kanna thought aloud. She pushed her fears aside and continued the descent. Her efforts were well rewarded.

"Guys! Get down here! It's amazing!"

"Wow Kanna! You were right!" Akeela declared.

"Yeah, you're pretty clever. How did you figure out that the temple was down here?" asked Hama.

"I just sort of figured that if they wanted to close themselves off from the outside, the best way to do it is to hide in plain sight."

"Well let's take a look around."

* * *

The three teens could hardly believe their eyes. It was an enormous structure, carved upside-down, directly into the side of the cliff.

However, they hadn't gone very far before a cheerful face popped down in front of them.

"Hello."

**Redbayly: So excited! I'm going to get right to work on the next chapter...**


	4. Xia

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: Yep, I'm back again. And I'm really excited about this chapter.**

**Kanna: Well, the best of luck to you. Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Xia

When the cheery-faced girl suddenly appeared, Akeela just about had a heart-attack.

"Ah! Hama save me!"

He hid behind the young Waterbender who had only responded to the intrusion with a little surprised flinch.

The girl left her upside-down position, that had made Kanna wonder if the girl had been walking around the temple as if it had been built pointing up. The girl looked fairly young, with a light build that appeared to be very flexible considering the girl seemed so acrobatic. She had big, grey eyes that sparkled with excitement at seeing new people. She also had light-brown hair that had been partially braided at the end; but in the front, her head had been partly shaved to reveal an unusual blue arrow-shaped tattoo.

Noticing Akeela's reaction to her sudden appearance, the girl chuckled.

"He's funny."

"Yeah, he's our comic relief." Hama replied.

"My name is Xi-Xi...achoo!" she sneezed and was catapulted into the air, only to land elegantly back on the ground as if nothing had happened. "I'm Xia."

"You just sneezed.." said Akeela.

"And flew ten feet in the air." Hama finished.

"Really? It felt higher than that."

Kanna gasped. "You're an Airbender?"

"Yep."

"But how is that possible? The Fire Nation killed all the Airbenders." Hama inquired.

The girl's face became somber.

"Actually, they didn't. Not all at least. I'm the last one at _this_ temple, but the others all just disappeared one day."

"How did you survive?" asked Hama.

"When the Fire Nation showed up, I pretended to be the angry ghosts of the Airbenders, they all got freaked out and left. It was so funny. I've been living here for years."

"Wait, how old are you anyway?"

"Fourteen. But I was such a gifted Airbender that I got my tattoos at eleven. Actually, the other Airbenders disappeared only a few months after that event."

"So, you've been here, all alone? For three _years_?" Kanna asked incredulously.

"Well, I wouldn't say _all_ alone." With that, she pulled out a whistle, and blew. At the unusual sound, a giant hairy creature appeared.

"What is _that_ thing?" asked Hama.

"This is Lakshmi, my flying bison."

Hama looked unconvinced. Then, a fuzzy little monkey-type creature came and landed on Akeela's head, causing him to freak out.

"Ah! Get it off me! Get it off me!"

"It's okay," Xia explained, "that's just my flying lemur, Tao. I think she likes you."

* * *

Xia showed them around the temple, giving them detailed history of the Air Nomads and showing off Airbending moves. Xia really was happy to have some _human_ company for once.

"Well, this has been fun," said Hama, "but we need to get back to our world tour."

"You're _leaving_?" asked Xia.

"Well, we can't stay forever. We have things to see, places to go."

Xia knew that this must have been the sign she was waiting for.

"Can I come too? We can ride on Lakshmi. It takes much less time than walking."

The three Water Tribe kids huddled up.

"Maybe we should let her come, she seems so lonely." said Akeela.

"And if that bison really _can_ fly, it will make our trip easier." Kanna added.

"I hate to admit it but you guys are right. And she does seem kinda fun." Hama conceded.

"Well Xia, welcome to the group." Kanna said.

"Yay!" she squealed excitedly.

* * *

"Are you sure this thing is safe?" Hama asked nervously.

"Perfectly. The Air Nomads have been using flying bison for centuries. Everyone ready?"

They all nodded uncertainly. The smiling Airbender seated herself, took the reins, and shouted:

"Lakshmi! Yip-Yip!"

With that, the giant creature took off into the sky. Much to the astonishment of the three Water Tribe passengers.

**Redbayly: Yep, the Air Nomads live. Somewhere. Just thought you all should know: the name 'Xia' is Chinese for "Glow of the Sunrise', and 'Tao' is the Chinese word for 'Peach', I thought it would be appropriate considering 'Momo' is 'Peach' in Japanese. Also, for those who don't know, 'Lakshmi' is the name of a Hindu goddess of beauty, the word itself means 'good sign/omen' and I thought it was fitting. **

**Kanna: Yeah, especially considering it means we don't have to walk everywhere from now on.**


	5. The Universe Hates Me

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: Hi, I'm back. I really wish you all would hurry up and leave some comments. **

**Kanna: Don't worry, I'm sure they'll come in due time.**

**Redbayly: Well, here's the newest installment.**

**Kanna: Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Universe Hates Me

"Kanna, are you okay? You look kinda sick." asked a concerned Akeela

Kanna had not been feeling well lately; she had at first attributed it to the new experience of flying on a sky-bison, but after a few weeks it became clear that that was not the case.

"Maybe she ate something bad?" Xia suggested.

"It would have worn off a while ago." Akeela responded.

Xia then saw something that made her face light up.

"Ooh, maybe that's our answer?" everyone looked in the direction she was pointing. It was a small but ornate tent, with a banner outside that read: Fortunes Told.

"Forget it," Hama replied, "fortune telling is nonsense."

"I dunno, Hama. There are some things in this world that you can't explain." Kanna replied. Kanna had always been a deeply spiritual person, it was sort of a given up North, what with the Spirit Oasis.

"Fine, we'll go see your silly fortune teller. Maybe then you'll see how ridiculous the whole idea is."

* * *

They entered the tent and found a neat little waiting area in front of a screened-off part. They noticed a little bell on the low table and rang it. At the sound, a young girl entered.

"Hello, my name is Wu. I am the fortune teller's assistant. Would you all care for some bean-curd puffs while you wait for Aunt Shi?"

* * *

"Alrighty, who's first?"

Everyone turned to look at Kanna.

"I guess I am."

Kanna followed the middle-aged fortune teller into the back of the tent. They took their seats in front of the fire.

"Perhaps you could tell me about-"

"About the strange sickness you have been feeling lately?"

Kanna looked at the woman in shock.

"Yes child, I really can see the future. As to your ailment, I think we both know what is wrong. Just so you know, it's a boy."

"You...you mean I'm...?"

"Yes child, you may think you are not ready for such a responsibility, but it will all be worth it in the end. Let me see your palm."

Kanna held up her hand.

"Ah yes, you will find a good man to be a father to your son. And the boy will grow up to be a strong leader and warrior, even though he won't be a Waterbender he will hold tremendous respect. I see a long life for you, filled with both happy and sad occasions, old friends and new. Even some very unlikely friends will help you on your journey."

"Thank you Aunt Shi."

* * *

"Okay, who's up next?"

"Fine, let's just get this over with." Hama replied.

"Your future is filled with trouble and anguish, most of it, self-inflicted."

"But...you didn't even read my palm or anything!"

"I don't need to. It's written all over your face."

Hama responded with an angry glare, while she picked a piece of bean-curd out of her teeth.

Aunt Shi looked at Xia.

"You then, come with me."

"Oh goody!"

* * *

"So what exactly did she tell you, Kanna?" asked Akeela as the group made their way to a nearby village to get some supplies.

"I'm pregnant." she deadpanned.

Everyone stopped and looked at her.

"Sorry, Kanna, but I don't think we heard you correctly. I thought you said you're pregnant." Hama said.

"I did."

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, before Xia asked:

"So is it a boy or a girl?"

* * *

In the village, the group started doing some shopping. As they were walking along, Hama found she couldn't take it anymore.

"That fortune teller is ridiculous! I don't believe one word she said!"

Kanna looked at her friend and grinned.

"You're just upset because you're going to make yourself unhappy your whole life."

"That woman is crazy! My life will be calm, and happy, and _joyful_!" as she said that she kicked a rock, that hit a sign, and reverberated back to hit her on the head.

"That doesn't prove _anything_."

**Redbayly: Yes, I decided that Hama is going to be something of a 'Sokka' figure. You'll find out why in a later part of this series. Maybe Part III. Also, I chose the name 'Shi' because in Chinese it means 'time', 'real', 'honest', or 'history'.**


	6. Into the Danger Zone

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: Okay, it's taken me some time, but I finally figured out what to do for this chapter.**

**Kanna: Well done young lady. I'm sure it will be good.**

**Redbayly: Well, you would know.**

**Kanna: Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Into the Danger Zone

"So, what are you gonna name him?" Asked the excitable young Airbender.

Hama threw Xia a warning look, but Kanna just smiled.

"I'm going to name him...Hakoda. It's what his father wanted."

"You don't owe that guy _anything_!" Hama said sternly. "After taking advantage of you."

"Pakku was not taking advantage of me. He was taking advantage of our _situation_."

Hama let out an exasperated sigh, but didn't continue.

"Well, if Kanna's going to have a baby," Akeela said, "then we'd better make a plan. Kanna, do you have any suggestions?"

"I say that if we're going to see anything that is potentially dangerous we'd better do that first. After that it will be too difficult for me to do anything too physically demanding."

"Good point. Xia, what about you?"

Xia, who had lost focus and was Airbending a little ball to entertain her pet lemur, suddenly looked up.

"Oh, me? I heard that Omashu is lovely this time of year, maybe we should head that way?"

"Hama?"

"Hey, you guys do what you want. I'm just here to make sure you don't hurt yourselves."

"Hama, this isn't like you. Usually you're all up in our cases about getting to wherever it is we're going."

Hama straightened up and brushed herself off.

"Well if we're going to Omashu we'd better get flying."

* * *

"Uh...guys?"

"What is it Xia?" Akeela asked.

"I think we'd better go."

"But we just made camp."

"Yeah...you see...the thing is..."

"Quickly!" A loud and angry voice shouted. "She came this way!"

Hama peered through the bushes. Fire Nation troops. A lot of them.

"Fire Nation?" Hama whispered angrily. "You let the _Fire Nation_ see you?"

"I thought they might be friendly now."

Hama slapped her forehead.

"Okay, everyone pack up, and fast."

As the team quickly packed all their stuff up on Lakshmi, Hama heard a rustling. A boy about Xia's age, in bright red, with light brown hair that had been tied back in a low-ponytail stumbled upon them.

The boy gasped.

"Sir! They're over-"

Hama slapped a hand over his mouth, and tried to wrestle him to the ground. Suddenly, the boy pinched a part of her arm and she released him.

"Hey! What did you-?"

"Chi-blocking. You won't be able to move that arm for a few hours."

Hama tried to take a swing at him with her other arm, but he dodged and ducked behind her, pressing more pressure points as he did so.

"Hama!" Akeela shouted.

Xia noticed the threat and dove in to help her friend, who was now lying paralyzed on the floor.

The boy tried to get a good shot at her, but every time he missed.

"Hey," Xia said, "you're kinda cute."

"I could say the same about you, sweetie."

"Xia!" Hama shouted. "Stop flirting with the enemy and get me outta here!"

While Xia distracted the boy, Kanna rushed over to grab Hama and get her onto the Sky-bison.

Seeing her friends were all safe, Xia leapt and cart-wheeled after them.

"Seeya later, Cutie!"

And with that, the team took off.

Back on the ground, the boy watched them fly off. Not even noticing as someone emerged behind him.

"Kong. What happened? Did the Airbender escape?"

"Yes Lord Khan. She did."

"Illah might just roast us for this."

"Then I guess it's a good thing your wife is Illah's best friend."

"Lan-Yin is Illah's _only_ friend."

"You just keep proving my point."

"At least Azulon won't be mad, he likes a good challenge."

"And because you're _his_ only friend, ever since my dad..."

"Hey, if you want to keep your face intact you shouldn't bring up Kuzon around him."

"Well, let's get back. I hope we find that Airbender girl, she was cute."

Khan gave the boy a look.

"You do realize if Azulon and Illah capture her, she'll most likely be killed, right?"

"What a waste."

**Redbayly: Yep, enter the pursuers. Bet'cha can't guess who Kong is. (Here's a hint: who do we know in the Fire Nation who is a chi-blocker, flirts a lot, is hopelessly optimistic, who hangs out with Fire Nation royalty, and whose history is not entirely loyal to the Fire Nation? Okay, major hints.). **


	7. The Rebel

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: Okay, when we last saw our intrepid young explorers, they were just discovered by the Fire Nation.**

**Kanna: I can't believe Xia was flirting with that one guy. Well, actually I can. She's a 14-year-old girl who's spent the past three years alone except for a couple animals.**

**Redbayly: Yeah, and I'm sure we all can guess who Xia is going to grow up to be. Anyway...**

**Kanna: Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Rebel

"I can't believe you were flirting with some random Fire Nation boy!" Hama shouted at Xia as they were setting up camp, a few days after Xia let her existence be known. "You _do_ realize that the Fire Nation is responsible for the extermination of the Air Nomads, right?"

"We were _not_ exterminated. _I'm_ still here. And I think I know what happened to the other Nomads. I'm not sure where, but I've heard stories of a hidden _5th_ temple. It's rumored to be a secret known only to the most elite of Airbenders. And anyway, why are you getting on my case about it?"

"Because, he's a _Fire Nation_ boy! I would have thought you would have more sense!"

"Hama, please calm down." Akeela pleaded.

"Well I say we should take a break from flying tomorrow."

"What?" Asked Xia. "Why wouldn't we fly?"

"Think about it. Wouldn't you say that a giant Sky-bison is kinda noticeable."

"What?" Kanna said. "Lakshmi's not too noticeable."

"She's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on her head, it's kinda hard to miss her."

Said Sky-bison let out a loud groan.

"Hama's just jealous because she doesn't have an arrow." Xia reassured the creature.

"I know you all wanna fly, but my instincts tell me that we should play it safe and walk."

"Who made _you_ the boss?" Asked Kanna.

"I'm not the boss, I'm the leader."

"Pfft, _you're_ the _leader_?"

"Yes! I'm the toughest, and I'm a Bender. So...shut up!"

Kanna rolled her eyes.

"Who knows," said Xia, "walking might be fun."

* * *

"Walking stinks! How do people go _anywhere_ without a Flying-bison?"

"Oh I don't know, Xia." Said Kanna. "Why don't we ask Hama's instincts? They seem to know _everything_."

"This pack is so heavy."

"You know who you should ask to carry that for you? Hama's instincts."

"That's a great idea! Hey, Hama's instincts! Would you mind-"

"Okay, that's enough!" Hama shouted. "Look everyone, I'm tired too. But the important thing is that we're safe from the...Fire...Nation..."

Hama realized that she had walked them all right into a Fire Nation camp.

"Don't let them get me!" Akeela screamed as he jumped behind Hama.

Hama and Xia were instantly at the ready, prepared to defend their friends if need be.

"Let us pass and we promise not to hurt you." Hama said threateningly.

"What are you doing?" Kanna whispered.

"Bluffing?"

The Fire Nation troops laughed, disbelieving. When suddenly, an arrow zoomed through the air and struck one of them. Within moments, a gang of young men jumped out and attacked the Fire Nation troops, driving them off. The leader of these warriors was a particularly attractive young man.

* * *

"Hey."

"Hi." Kanna replied nervously.

"You just took out a whole _army_ almost single-handed." Exclaimed an amazed Xia.

"_Army_?" Said a disbelieving Hama, who was irritated that each time she'd had a chance to attack one of the soldiers that man had gotten in there first. "There were only like, twenty guys!"

"My name is Corporal Kitsune. I'm the leader of a small group of Earth Kingdom troops. Thanks for walking in like that. We've been waiting for something to distract those Fire Nation soldiers all day."

"Glad we could be of help." Hama said sarcastically.

"Corporal!" One of the men shouted. "We found it!"

"Found what?" Asked Kanna.

"Follow me."

Kitsune led them to one of the tents, inside they saw a little 1-year-old baby.

* * *

Not far away, a woman was raging at a young man.

"Two days! I leave you with your brother for _two days_! And you let him get captured by Earth Kingdom troops! What do you have to say for yourself, Iroh?"

"It's not my fault, some strangers walked in on us and we got distracted and-"

"Enough! I don't want to hear any more excuses. I want my baby boy, now!"

"Illah, calm down." Said a stern-faced man. "Iroh did what he could-"

"But it wasn't good enough!"

"Illah, do _not_ interrupt me."

"I'm sorry." Her voice instantly became lower. "I forgot myself, my lord."

"Iroh, you will not be punished. This was an unforeseen occurrence that you could not control, and seeing as you are only a boy yourself it is understandable. We will wait until we hear from these Earth Kingdom troops. Until that time, no one is to do anything unless I give the word. Khan!"

"Yes, my lord." The man said, entering the tent.

"Take my son and look after him, I cannot risk losing _both_ my sons in one day."

"My wife and I will take care of him, Fire Lord Azulon."

* * *

"You guys risked your lives for a stupid baby?" Hama asked incredulously.

"That '_stupid baby_' as you call him, is none other than the younger son of Fire Lord Azulon, Prince Ozai." Replied Kitsune. "The Fire Lord has a number of Earth Kingdom civilians held prisoner, and if we have his son we can barter for their return."

"That's so brave." Said Kanna.

"What's so brave about it?" Asked Hama. "All he did is take a helpless infant hostage."

Everyone ignored her.

"So you guys wanna come see our camp?"

"Yes, we'd like to see it." Kanna answered quickly.

At the campsite, the team decided to wait and help until the Earth Kingdom prisoners were set free. Kanna and Akeela took up the responsibility of looking after the kidnapped Fire Nation infant.

"Aw, he's so adorable." Kanna cooed over the tiny Firebender.

Hama looked up.

"Sure, he's cute _now_. But just wait until he's all grown up and shooting fireballs at you. You won't think he's so adorable then. He'll be a killer."

"Does _that_ look like the face of a killer to you?" Akeela asked, holding up the child.

"Kanna, Akeela, there's something about this that I just don't like."

"You're just upset because Kitsune showed you up in combat." Kanna pointed out.

Hama narrowed her eyes. Okay it was true she didn't like being outshone in fighting, but there was something else lingering in her mind. Something seemed wrong about this.

That night, Hama snuck out of the tent when she heard the sound of some people walking about. She followed the two people, straight to Kitsune's tent. Inside she heard a conversation that chilled her to the bones.

"So, the Fire Lord refuses to listen to our demands?"

"Yes sir. He said the life of his younger son isn't worth releasing those assassins you sent after him in the first place."

"Very well. If he won't agree to it, then his son won't live to see the morning light. Men, be back here in two hours. The Fire Lord will learn that we aren't playing games."

Hama rushed back to the tent and woke the others.

"Hama, I highly doubt that Kitsune would do something like that."

"Kanna, I heard him with my own ears. If we don't get that kid out of here, Kitsune and his men will kill him."

Akeela saw how sincere Hama was about this.

"Guys, I think we should listen to her. Why would she lie to us about this?"

The four teens took the child and headed into some tree cover. As Kitsune had said, he and his men arrived at the tent. Upon seeing the place empty, he let out a growl of frustration.

"Those _traitors_! They must have overheard what we said."

"Well they're long gone by now, sir."

"Weeks of planning up in smoke, because of some stupid girls!"

Kanna felt her heart breaking at this betrayal. Kitsune had seemed so nice and sincere, but now...

The teens stealthily made their way away from the campsite, deciding to return the baby to his family.

**Redbayly: Bet you guys all know which episode **_**this**_** is based off of. Incidentally, the word 'Kitsune' is Japanese for 'Fox', I thought it was good considering how cunning the guy was. Bet you guys can also guess that Kitsune is probably like, Jet's grandfather or something, I mean they both seem pretty crazy.**


	8. Just A Slight Detour

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: Okay, in our last chapter we left our young heroes about to return the infant Prince Ozai to his family.**

**Kanna: If only we had known what he would grow up to be.**

**Redbayly: Uhh...time for the disclaimer.**

**Kanna: Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Just A Slight Detour

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Walking into a Fire Nation camp to hand over a kidnapped Fire Nation prince?"

"Well Hama, you were the one who told us to save him."

"Well yeah, Kanna, I mean I couldn't just let that creep kill a harmless kid. If the kid had been grown up I might not have been so merciful."

"Come on Hama," said Akeela, "even _you_ have a heart."

The four teens and the 1-year-old headed in the direction that they suspected was where they would find a Fire Nation camp, they would drop off the baby and someone would realize who the child was because of the royal insignia he wore around his neck. Unbeknownst to them, they wouldn't have to make the journey to the Fire Nation camp, as someone was going to find _them_ first.

* * *

_A few hours earlier_

"Lady Illah, do you really think it is wise to go against your husband's orders?"

"Lan-Yin, I am _not_ about to let some Earth Kingdom _thugs_ hurt my son. What would you do if they kidnapped your daughter? Wouldn't _you_ disregard Azulon's orders if little Ursa were being threatened?"

"I suppose I-"

Illah narrowed her eyes at the woman. This was actually a fairly treasonous thing to ask. Not that Illah would have turned in her friend, but it was a question that would make things further uncomfortable between Lan-Yin's family and that of the Fire Lord. You see, Lan-Yin was Avatar Roku's daughter, and that left a great deal of tension surrounding her relationship with the royal family.

"Illah, as a friend, I insist upon going with you."

* * *

"Are we _there_ yet?"

"Xia, complaining is not going to get us there any sooner." Kanna replied.

"But I'm sick of walking."

"Oh boo-hoo." Hama said sarcastically. "Does the baby need her bottle?"

"Hama, is it _really_ necessary for you to tease her like that?" Akeela asked.

"Do I _ever_ do anything that isn't necessary?"

Akeela just rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, we shouldn't be too far now. With any luck, we'll find them before- aughh!"

No sooner had she been prepared to explain how long it would take, than a blast of fire shot out in front of them and two figures emerged. Both were women, around their mid-forties or so, and both very clearly Fire Nation. One was wearing very fine clothes and had slick black hair that had been tied into a topknot at the back but allowed long strands to hang down either side of her face; her features were fairly sharp and her menacing scowl was only accentuated by a pair of fearsome yellow eyes. The other woman was dressed more simply, but by no means less fashionably, and was nowhere near as frightening; her dark brown tresses were long and styled in a topknot as well, and her warm amber eyes seemed to suggest that she had no interest in an unnecessary conflict.

The more intimidating woman spoke first.

"Hand over my son!"

Quickly, though carefully, Kanna set the baby on the ground and proceeded to back away. Hoping that the woman would be satisfied and let them leave in peace. But what Kanna forgot was that they were dealing with a crazy Fire Lady who thought they had been about to hurt her child. The crazy woman lunged at them while the more passive woman picked up the child. The teens all started to duck out of the way of the woman's fire blasts. Hama used Waterbending to try and hold off the crazy lady while her friends attempted to get out of harm's way. Suddenly, the woman blasted a strange blue flame toward Akeela, when Hama saw the danger he was in, she ducked in and took it. Kanna wanted to help her friends out, but she was scared. That is until she remembered what Pakku used to say all the time: _Girls can't be warriors. They're too easily frightened. They need a man there to protect them._ Kanna decided she was going to prove him wrong. So, bracing herself, she picked up a rock from the ground and threw it at their attacker, hitting her squarely in the back of the head.

"Hey! Crazy lady! Over here!"

The woman shot at Kanna with her blue fire, but Kanna easily ducked and rolled out of the way. Once everyone was up on Lakshmi, Xia called out.

"Kanna, get on! It's time to get out of here!"

Kanna made a mad dash for the bison and leapt up just in time for them to fly out of range of their attacker.

Akeela got out some water that he Bended onto his hands, and lowered to the wound. Hama winced as the healing took effect, but opened her eyes and smiled.

"Thank you, Akeela."

"I think _I'm_ the one who should be thanking _you_." The boy choked out as he began to cry happily.

**Redbayly: Yep, allusion or foreshadowing. I'm not sure which as it's a prequel. Anyway, you can totally see what I'm getting at. Yes, Illah is a total B****, well what else do you expect if she's Ozai's mom? So please, read and review.**


	9. Secret Tunnel

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Redbayly: Okay, I'm back with another chapter. Today, the group with be making a journey the Omashu, through a very familiar tunnel.**

**Kanna: Shhh, don't spoil anything. Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Secret Tunnel

The four teens were idly lounging by a riverbank.

"You know, Kanna, that was pretty bold of you. You know, dodging that crazy lady's fire blasts and all." Hama said.

"I just sort of acted on impulse. I mean, you were injured, I had to buy you guys some time."

"Well I think it was very brave of you to do that." Xia said.

Akeela hadn't said much since the incident. Currently, he was just floating in the water, staring up at the sky and listening to the girls. Soon, they all heard the sound of music.

_"Don't fall in love with a travelling girl,_

_she'll leave broke and broken-hearted."_

The singer was a young woman, who was dressed in a bizarre and eclectic outfit. She was travelling with about four other people. When she saw the four teens in the river, she stopped.

"Hey, river people."

"We're not river people." Kanna pointed out.

"You're not? Well what kinda people are you?"

"Just...people." Xia answered.

"Aren't we all, sister?"

"Who are _you_?" Hama demanded.

"I'm Hua. And this is my husband Cheech. We're nomads. We go wherever the wind takes us."

"You guys are nomads? That's _great_! _I'm_ a nomad." Xia said excitedly.

"Hey, me too."

"I know, you just said that."

"Oh. So where are you all headed?"

"Omashu." Kanna answered.

"Yeah," Hama said, "and we're on a schedule so we can't be dawdling all day."

"You gotta relax, buddy. You sound like you've got a case of destination fever."

"_O_-_ma_-_shu_."

"You know, I heard a story about a secret pass, right through the mountains."

"Is this real, or a legend?" Asked Kanna.

"Oh it's a real legend. And it's as old as Earthbending itself."

Hua began to sing.

_"Two lovers,_

_forbidden from one another,_

_a war divides their people,_

_and a mountain divides them apart._

_Built a path to be together..."_

"Uh..I forget the next couple of lines, but then it goes:"

_"Secret tunnel!_

_Secret tunnel!_

_Through the mountains!_

_Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel! Yeah!"_

As the other nomads applauded, Hama and Kanna didn't seem bought by it.

"Thanks," Hama replied, "but we'll just stick with flying."

"Yeah," Xia continued, "thanks for your help, but Lakshmi hates going underground. And we have to do whatever makes her most comfortable."

* * *

"Secret love-cave, let's go." Hama said as they returned to the nomads, after being attacked by some Firebenders.

The group all headed up to the mountain range.

"How far is it to the tunnel?" Kanna asked.

"Actually, it's not just _one_ tunnel." Hua replied. "The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth."

"Labyrinth?" Hama exclaimed, disbelieving.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll figure it out."

"All you have to do is trust in love." Cheech added. "According to the curse."

Akeela paused.

"_Curse_?" He whined.

"What exactly _is_ this curse?" Hama asked.

"The curse says that only those who believe in the power of love can make it out of the labyrinth safely." Hua explained. "Otherwise you'll be trapped down there forever."

"And die." Cheech added.

"Oh yeah. And die. Hey, I just remembered the rest of that song."

_"And diiiie."_

"So, all we have to do is trust in love?" Akeela asked.

"You are correct."

Akeela looked over at Hama.

"We can make it."

"Fine, everyone into the hole." Hama concluded.

* * *

They all wandered around in the caves, frequently coming to dead-ends. Kanna decided to make a map to record where they had been.

"This is the tenth dead-end we've come to." She declared. "Something's not right here, we just came _through_ this way. There's only one explanation. The tunnels are changing."

Suddenly, a loud rumbling was heard.

"The tunnels," Hua said with worry, "they're changin'! I knew we shouldn'ta come down here."

"Right," Hama said sarcastically, "if only we'd listened to _you_."

Without warning, an eerie wail was heard, and out of the darkness came a Wolfbat. The creature jumped all about the place, Kanna tried to fend it off with the torch, but accidently dropped it on Lakshmi's foot, which caused the bison to panic. Lakshmi's little rampage started to cause a cave-in. Xia Airbended the nomads out of the way of the falling rocks, but Akeela noticed that Hama was right in the way. Mustering all his inner courage, he leapt and knocked her out of harm's way.

"What are you doing?" She shouted.

"Keeping rocks from _crushing_ you."

"Okay, I'm not crushed. You can get _off_ me now."

As he got off, he muttered "I'll take that as a thank-you."

They were separated. Xia, Kanna, Tao, and the nomads on one side; and Akeela, Hama, and Lakshmi on the other.

* * *

Hama and Akeela walked along the tunnel for what seemed like hours. The torch was going to go out any minute.

"You know, Hama, the curse says that only those who believe in the power of love can make it through."

"And?"

"Well, I...I was just thinking...what's a better symbol of love than a kiss, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"So...I was just...you know...wondering..."

"If _we_ should kiss?"

"You're gonna break my arms now, aren't you?"

"No."

"Okay, you know...I'm really nervous asking that. It's just, I've never had a kiss before, and well, if we're gonna die..."

"It's okay, I've never been kissed either."

"_What_?"

"Yeah, hard to believe, isn't it?"

"So, should we? Just to try it?"

"Can't hurt."

Akeela took Hama's hands and lowered the torch she held. The two teens looked into each other's eyes and leaned in. Neither noticed that Hama had dropped the torch as she wrapped her arms around Akeela's neck. When they opened their eyes and pulled away, they found the room bathed in a luminous glow from some strange crystals. The two looked at each other for a moment, before turning away blushing.

"Ahem, we'd better get a move on." Hama said.

Akeela watched her walk ahead for a moment, before following with a smile.

* * *

Kanna had just about had it with the nomads, and it didn't help that Xia was encouraging them. Out of nowhere, a huge swarm of Wolfbats flew straight towards them. As the others all ducked out of the way, Kanna was caught in the rush and was flailing around at the attack. But the Wolfbats hadn't been attacking.

"Hey, you saved us, Kanna!" Hua said.

"No, they were trying to get _away_ from something!"

As if on cue, two Badgermoles stormed in. They were cornered. Kanna had fallen onto her back and was starting to edge away, when suddenly, her hand hit the strings on the guitar that Hua had dropped in the excitement. The Badgermole paused. Kanna instinctively picked up the guitar and began strumming. The Badgermoles seemed to like the sound.

"Hey," Hua said, "those things are music lovers."

Kanna started to sing.

_"Badgermoles, coming towards me,_

_c'mon guys, help me out..."_

Taking the cue, the nomads all began playing music and singing.

_"The big bad Badgermoles,_

_who Earthbend the tunnels,_

_hates the Wolfbats,_

_but love the sounds..."_

* * *

They all made it out. Lakshmi and Tao were happy to see each other again, and especially happy to get out of the tunnels.

"Why is your forehead all red?" Akeela asked Kanna.

"Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you," Hua said, "I think that girl might be an Airbender." She pointed to Xia. Kanna did a facepalm.

"So how did you guys get out?" Xia asked Hama and Akeela.

"Just like the legend says," Akeela explained, "we let love lead the way." He and Hama looked at each other and blushed once again.

"Really?" Kanna asked with a quirked eyebrow. "We let huge, ferocious beasts lead _our_ way."

The journey had been long and annoying, but now the four teens could see what it was really about, the destination.

"I present," Hama announced, "the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu!"

**Redbayly: Yes, this chapter is DONE! I'm sorry I didn't write the kiss scene better, I wanted to do it a little differently than in the original episode. I got inspiration for the kiss from iCarly, when Sam and Freddy kissed. Well, I know my story is good, I just have trouble writing it. Oh, and the name 'Hua' in the feminine form is Chinese for 'flower', and I chose the name Cheech because in the original show the hippie guy was called Chong. Please review. **


	10. On My Way

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Okay, I have decided to knock it off with the character dialogue (at least for now) as it is interfering with the story. So without much more adieu, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

On My Way

They had no idea how it happened, one minute they were flying over the Foggy Swamp after their little excursion to Omashu, and the next thing they knew they were all lost in the swamp as a result of a freak tornado.

"Stupid swamp. Dumb, ugly vines." Hama grumbled as she tried to maneuver though the murky water and endless forest of dense vines. She used her Waterbending to slice through the plants from time to time, but it just seemed pointless. Hama was becoming more and more uneasy, her worries only escalated when she heard the sound of weeping. She looked through the fog and saw a little girl, in Water Tribe blue, crying her eyes out.

"Hello, who are you?"

_"Mama, where are you? I'm scared."_

There was something about the girl that looked familiar. She had tan skin like most Water Tribe people, black hair, and blue eyes.

"What's your name little girl? Can I help you?"

The girl looked up at her.

_"Mama?"_

The image then faded away. Hama felt more confused than ever. There was no way she was going to accept that something supernatural had just happened, so she put the experience out of her mind and kept walking.

* * *

Akeela was completely freaked out. He had no idea where the others were and he was terrified that something had happened to them, especially Hama. Through the mist and the streaks of light that penetrated the swamp, he saw a figure in the distance.

"Hello. I lost my friends, can you help me?"

As he got closer he saw that the figure was someone he knew very well.

"Mom?"

He couldn't tell if it really _was_ the person he wanted so much to see, her back was turned to him. But the reddish-brown tresses tied back in a loose braid, and the heavy Winter parka looked painfully familiar. Akeela started to run to the figure, hopeful tears in his eyes.

"Mom! I can't believe-"

As he reached the figure and tried to see the front, he saw that it was only a tall tree-stump. Akeela knelt down and started to sob. He was scared, and lost, and the reminder of his late mother hurt him deeply.

* * *

Kanna had also had a vision as she made her way through the swamp. She had seen Pakku, who had called out to her, asking why she abandoned him. Kanna had at first thought that it really was him, but soon realized it had all been a hallucination. She had had visions of Pakku before, usually telling her she couldn't do something, but like this one she had pushed the images away. As Kanna walked on, she soon found herself being slammed into by Xia, who seemed to have come from nowhere. The two then crashed down and landed on their other companions, all of them ending up landing on Lakshmi's saddle.

"Where have you guys been?" Hama demanded. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Well, I was wandering around looking for _you_!" Kanna retorted.

"I was following some girl." Xia added.

"What girl?" Akeela inquired.

"I was looking around, and I heard laughing, and then I saw a girl in an Earth Kingdom military uniform. I followed her until I...uh...'stumbled' upon Kanna."

"Look," said Hama, "we were all just tired and hungry, and our minds were playing tricks on us, that's why we saw visions out here."

"Wait," Kanna interjected, "you saw something too?"

"I thought saw a little Water Tribe girl, who disappeared after calling me 'mom', but that doesn't mean anything."

"Hello there!" Came a shout. Everyone looked up and saw a young man in very little clothing standing on one of the large tree-branches overhead. The man then controlled the vines to lower him down to them. "You folks seem kinda lost. My name is Hue, if ya'll are hungry I can take you to my village."

* * *

"So Hue, what's the deal with the swamp? We all saw these weird visions and stuff." Akeela asked.

"The swamp is a magical place. Sometimes we see visions of people we loved, folks we think are gone, but the swamp reminds us they're not. Time is an illusion, and so is death. "  
"Wait," Hama stepped in, "what about me and Xia? We didn't know the people we saw."

"Why don't you take a guess?"

"Are you saying they're people we _will_ meet?" Xia asked.

Hue smiled and answered her with a friendly wink.

"I really am impressed with what you did with the vines though." Hama continued, dismissing any supernatural mumbo-jumbo.

"Plants are filled with water. They're living organisms that depend upon the life-giving power of water."

"Wait a sec, if life depends on water, does that mean you could control the water in other living things? Like animals, or even people?"

Everyone gave her a nervous look.

"Hama," Kanna said, "why would you want to know that?"

"Just curious."

"That seems like a very dark subject. I think we should stay away from talking about it."

Truth be told, Kanna did not like the look that Hama had as she asked about the possibility of controlling the liquid inside things other than plants. It worried her.

* * *

"So where are we going next?" Hama asked.

"I don't know." Kanna replied. "What about Ba Sing Se?"

"That's all the way in the other direction. We'll have to cross through the Si Wong desert to get there."

"We could go over the mountain range." Xia suggested. "There's a beautiful Earth Kingdom city on the other side."

"Fine, we'll head towards the Heng mountain range. We will have to make a slight cut through the desert to get there, but not a big one." Hama decided. "Hopefully, we won't run into anymore trouble."

With that, they flew West, heading in the direction of the Southern Plains.

**Ah, it's done. I'm gonna get cracking on the next chapter. The word 'Heng' is Chinese for 'permanent' or 'constant'. Please review my work, people. I know my story can be better, but I need some pointers, even just a little encouragement. PLEASE REVIEW! See ya!**


	11. The Earthbending Prodigy

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Okay, I'm back again. I have pretty good idea of where I'm going with the story right now, but comments are always appreciated. I am going to be introducing yet another character, and I hope you guys like them. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, or Disney's Mulan, just letting you know that there are similar plot elements.**

The Earthbending Prodigy

"And another thing...!" Kanna shouted. She had been screaming at everyone for the slightest things all day. Akeela told the two other girls that Kanna had reached the 'Mood Swing' stage of pregnancy. Kanna had indeed started to show signs of being pregnant, she even had a small 'baby-bump'. Hama was not amused by Kanna's screaming at people to do stuff, that was _her_ job.

"I never want to have kids." Hama said after Kanna had stormed off to bed. "If I have to go through nine months of PMS-syndrome just kill me and save yourselves the torture."

Akeela just smirked and resisted the sudden, dangerous, urge to make a joke about her statement.

"Come on, let's go to bed. We've got a long day of flying ahead of us tomorrow." He said.

* * *

"Aha!" Came a shout, before anyone could realize what was happening, they all found themselves trapped by a wall of earth that appeared from nowhere. "Thought you could sneak up on me, Fire Nation scum?"

Suddenly a girl dropped down in front of them. She had pale but lightly tanned skin, black hair that had been cut short, emerald-green eyes that seemed to light up at the prospect of a fight; she was monstrously tall and towered over all of them, and was dressed in green military robes that had been ornamented with the gold insignia of the Earth Kingdom.

Hama had gotten irritated by this sudden intrusion.

"Hey, jerk-wad! Do we _look_ like Fire Nation trash to you?"

"Oops, sorry about that, folks." The Earthbender got out of her battle stance. "Just a little on-edge you know. I've been making my way to the Heng mountains. Going to meet up with my aunt, General Wei. She's amassed a huge army to take out a Fire Nation division that's planning to attack the city of Zhong when the Earth King arrives in a few weeks."

"And _you_ are?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot my manners. My name is Lin. Lin Lao."

The group introduced themselves, and explained that they themselves were heading to Zhong.

"This is great!" Xia exclaimed. "We can all travel together. Maybe we can even help you and your aunt against the Fire Nation."

"Whoa there, Sunshine." Lin said. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. That journey is long and hard, and I don't think a bunch of tourists like you could make it."

"Tourists?" Hama shouted. "We're 'travelers', 'explorers' even. We aren't some wimpy little tourists who can't protect themselves. We've fought the Fire Nation before, and it's not like we were asking you to _escort_ us to Zhong."

Lin just smiled smugly, that made Hama get even more annoyed.

"And just _how_ were you planning on getting to Zhong? Those mountain paths are treacherous. Snow and ice cover them all year round, even though they're along a desert."

"Pfft, we're from the Water Tribe. We grew up with snow and ice. And Xia has a flying-bison that can take us up. We don't have to travel along the paths."

"If you say so."

"And how were _you_ gonna get there if it's so dangerous?"

"Meh, I don't go down easy. I had an ostrich-horse, but I left her with some people when I realized I could travel much faster on my own. I'm not afraid of some stupid mountain."

"Well neither are _we_."

"I am." Akeela interjected.

"You, be quiet." Hama ordered.

"Ooh, getting into a fight with your boyfriend?"

"What? He's _not_ my boyfriend!"

Lin just rolled her eyes.

* * *

They had traveled a long distance, and decided to set up camp.

"Aren't you going to help?" Kanna asked Lin.

"Sorry, Sweetness, but I pull my _own_ weight." She Earthbended a tent for herself.

Kanna let out an irritated 'humph', and walked off.

Kanna and Hama did not like their newest addition to the team, but Xia was all excited.

"She's so cool!"

The little Airbender seemed to have developed an instant bond with the Earthbender, much to said Earthbender's annoyance. Several times, Lin had had to wrestle Xia off of her after she had surprised her with a sneak attack hug. Lin appeared to have serious attitude issues, and she wasn't ashamed of them; she also seemed to have a fondness for nicknaming people, much to some people's dismay.

* * *

They had all seated themselves around the fire for the evening.

"So Lin," Akeela said politely, "where exactly are you from?"

"Gaoling." She answered, though it was sort of hard to understand her as she had a mouth full of food when she spoke. "It's a pretty upscale Earth Kingdom town. I lived there with mommy and daddy until I couldn't take it anymore."

Everyone looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Kanna inquired.

"Heh, I guess there are some downsides to being an Earthbending prodigy."

Lin proceeded to tell them about how her parents had always pushed her to the limit, trying to make her the best Earthbender in the world. If she ever wanted a day to just take it easy or skip a training practice, they would bring up her grandfather and how Lin had to live up to his legacy. Her grandfather had been the great Earthbending Master, Sud Lao, who had taught Earthbending to Avatar Roku. Her parents also liked to show off her abilities by forcing her to compete in Earthbending tournaments; to heighten her senses and give her a special edge, her parents had taught her how to Earthbend blindfolded so she could learn to use Earthbending to see what others couldn't. Lin then went on to explain that she overheard her parents talking about her aunt's military campaign. Lin had asked if she could join the Earth Kingdom military but her parents had said 'no'. One night, Lin stole her father's old military uniform, and cut her hair short as a sign of emancipation. She then left, hoping to join up with her aunt.

"Wow." Xia said in astonishment. "That's so..._amazing_."

"It sounds like you were very brave," Kanna added, "giving up the life you felt obligated to live, in favor of the life you wanted for yourself."

"Yeah, I guess. So what about you guys? Why are you out wandering around in the middle of nowhere?"

And with that, everyone decided to share their stories.

* * *

"Okay, if we want to make it there in time we have to make a straight cut through the desert." Lin said as they were going over the plans.

"Wait a minute." Hama interrupted. "Why should we do _that_? I mean, we can just go along the edge of the desert and up into the mountains. We'll be at the base in no time."

"Hey, I need to get there as soon as possible. I'm not taking any scenic routes. The fastest way is through the desert, so that's the way we're going. You got that, Cranky?"

"You are not the boss of me. And stop calling me 'Cranky'!"

"Would you prefer one of the other nicknames in my repertoire?"

The teens all loaded up their stuff once again, and set off into the sky.

**A free cookie to whoever guesses who Lin is. It's sorta obvious. The word 'Wei' is Chinese for '** **power, strength, towering, lofty, great, or mighty', and 'Zhong' means 'loyal' or 'middle'.**** Hope you liked this chapter. I'm trying to think up something good for the next one. See ya.**


	12. Desert and Deserter

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Yep, I'm back again. I wanted to try and get another chapter or two done before I left for Italy on Monday, but a power-outage made certain that wouldn't happen. I really hope you guys like my story. And if you think that I should bring back the character commentary, drop me a message in the review box. Heck drop me a message in the review box anyway, I'm even open to anonymous messages. Anywho, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Desert and Deserter

"Hama, I don't think you should be eating strange plants." Kanna cautioned.

"Kanna, we're all out of water. This cactus is full of it." Hama used a knife to slice off part of the cactus, and then proceeded to drink from it. "Come on, you guys must be thirsty too."

"I don't know."

"Suit yourself. It's very thirst-quenching though." Hama then got a very weird look in her eyes. Her pupils dilated and she started to shake. "Drink cactus juice. It'll quench ya. Nothing's quenchier. It's the quenchiest."

"Okay," Akeela said as he took the cactus juice away from her, "I think you've had enough."

Hama then walked over to Lin, and looked at her curiously.

"Who lit Lin on fire?"

Tao, who had also ingested some of the cactus juice, began to circle around them super fast before passing out and dropping into Xia's arms.

"Can I get some of that cactus?" Lin said jokingly.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Kanna said. "We should keep heading in the direction of the mountains."

"How did we get out here in the middle of the ocean?" Hama asked.

Everyone rolled their eyes.

* * *

Meanwhile, some distance away, a fight was going down. A streak of blue fire was being thrown. The target dodged out of the way just in time.

"Stand still you filthy traitor!"

A furious woman, with jet-black hair and terrifying yellow eyes, raged at a much more skilled and naturally gifted woman, whose brown hair swirled as she spun out of the line of fire.

"Illah, I am no traitor. What you and Azulon are doing is wrong. This war must end."

"Silence!" Illah looked like a madwoman. Her neatly styled hair had come undone and now hung limp around her once beautiful features, that had now been distorted by anger. Another blast of blue fire, Lan-Yin deftly dodged out of the way. Lan-Yin, seeing her words were lost on her former friend, made a break for it, grabbing the little girl she loved more than anything in the world as she ran.

* * *

"I'm not one to complain," Hama said, after the cactus juice had worn off, "but can't Lakshmi fly _any_ faster?"

"I've got an idea," Xia said irately, "why don't we all climb on _your_ back and have _you_ fly us to the Heng mountains?"

"I'd _love_ to. Climb aboard everyone. Hama's ready for takeoff."

"Will you two stop fighting!" Kanna yelled. "You're giving me a migraine!"

"Whoa, Sweetness," Lin interjected, "what's got _your_ panties in a knot?"

"Nothing. Shut up!"

Akeela decided to step in.

"Please everyone. We're all just a little tired and cranky. Kanna is a little moody because of her whole pregnancy thing-"

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"And we don't need to be getting at each other's throats."

"There it is!" Lin shouted. Everyone turned to look where she was pointing, only to see empty expanse of desert. Everyone turned to glare at her. "That's what it will sound like when one of you spots it." Lin chuckled.

"Lin, that is seriously not helpful."

* * *

Lan-Yin was running as fast as she could, clutching her baby close to her. Little Ursa was wide awake but didn't cry, such a sweet child. Lan-Yin sat down amongst some rocks, trying desperately to catch her breath. She had run a good long way, there was no chance of Illah following her. But something came to her mind. A painful realization. Khan. She would never see him again. Her insubordination had cost her everything, everything but the child she cradled in her arms. Khan would probably renounce her, she was a traitor after all. Azulon would surely pardon him. Lan-Yin was lucky enough to escape with her life. So many things had happened lately. She couldn't help it. The tears started flowing. _Father_ she thought _Father please let me have made the right decision. Please. I'm so scared and confused._

Unbeknownst to her, an old man in the Spirit World was standing there, watching over her. She was as precious to him as her own child was to her. And his deepest sorrow was that he hadn't been there for her. Her mother had had to raise her alone. And seeing his daughter so distraught brought tears to the dead Avatar's eyes.

* * *

"Hey, what's that down there?"

"We're not falling for it again, Lin." Hama replied.

"No, guys. I'm serious. I see something."

They all looked over the edge of the bison's saddle and saw a round mass of red, lying against some rocks.

"Let's check it out." Hama said.

* * *

"Do you think she's dead?"

"Hama, kindly refrain from doing this again." Akeela said.

"Yeah," Kanna concurred, "I think I'm still bruised from when you 'introduced' yourself to _me_."

Hama picked up a stick and started jabbing it at the unconscious figure.

"Stop it." Kanna told Hama.

The figure stirred awake, and let out a gasp when she saw who had woken her. Everyone instantly backed away, Akeela ran for cover in case the woman was going to attack, and the girls all got into defensive positions.

"Alright," Lin said, "tell us who you are, and no funny business. Remember, it's one against three."

"Actually, Lin, there's four of us." Kanna stated.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't count you. You know, no Bending and all."

"I can still fight!"

"Okay. One, on three plus Kanna."

"Grrr."

The woman looked up nervously.

"My name is Lan-Yin. I-I ran away from the Fire Nation."

"Huh, no wonder." Hama said.

"I-I..I don't know if this is the best place to talk."

"Alright," Lin said, "everyone, let's go find a place to camp for tonight."

**Okay, I made this a short chapter. If you haven't guessed yet, Lan-Yin is my OC for Ursa's mom, making her Zuko's grandma. Yes, I did throw in quite a bit of the original series lines in, as I have been doing throughout this story. More to come in the near future, so stay tuned.**


	13. The Avatar's Daughter

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Hi, folks. I'm back and better than ever. Or however the saying goes. Sorry I've kept you waiting. Anyway, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Avatar's Daughter

"My name is Lan-Yin, and this is my daughter Ursa. I was the closest friend to Fire Lady Illah, that is, until she completely lost her mind." Lan-Yin's face went somber, everyone stared, enraptured in her tale. "The other day, the imperial guards captured a family of Earth Kingdom refugees. Illah accused them of being assassins, sent to kill her and her family. Illah was about to shoot a blast of lightning at the innocent people, and I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed her hand and led her to fire the lightning in the other direction. I told the family to run. Illah charged me with treason and tried to kill me. I grabbed my daughter and ran as fast as I could."

"Okay, Sparky," Lin spoke up, "why would you risk everything you had to save Earth Kingdom civilians? I thought you Fire Nation folks never took any chances and would just do away with anyone who crossed your path?"

"I am not like that. I have never supported this war. Just as my father never supported it. And had my father lived, he would have done everything in his power to stop it. And you shouldn't just assume that all Fire Nation people are that cold and heartless."

"Wait a second," Kanna spoke up, "I recognize you. You were the other woman who was there when that psycho attacked us when we were trying to get her baby back to her."

"Yes, I was."

"Why didn't _you_ attack us?"

"Because I knew you weren't going to hurt the child. You just wanted to bring him back to his family. Illah had no reason to attack you."

"You aren't what I thought a Fire Nation person would be like. Wait, you mentioned your father. What does he have to do with this war?"

"Everything. My father was Avatar Roku." Everyone gasped.

"So, the Avatar is...?"

"Dead. He died twelve years before the war began. I was only a child when he died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"For years my mother and I have had to live with the knowledge that this war should never have happened in the first place. We've had to watch our every step. Fire Lord Sozin often suspected we were conspiring against him and forced us to pledge our loyalty to him and the war effort. I have broken that pledge, and I am not sorry for it."

* * *

Later that evening, Kanna couldn't sleep. She got up from her sleeping bag and went over to sit by the fire. And she was not the only one.

"Trouble sleeping?" Lan-Yin asked.

"Yeah. I was thinking about what you told us. About having to give up everything you had in order to do what you felt was right. And, I just wanted to let you know, you aren't the only one who's done that."

"So you gave up your way of life for something you believed in?"

Kanna stared into the embers of the fire pit.

"Back in the Northern Water Tribe, I had everything I could ever want. My father was the chief, and I was his only child. But, I was miserable. All my life I was told I couldn't do _this_ or I couldn't do _that_, all because I'm a girl. And then, the worst thing happened. My father arranged a betrothal for me to a young Waterbender, named Pakku. Now, I really did like Pakku, I had very strong feelings for him, but I just couldn't stand the thought that he had gone behind my back and asked my father to arrange the marriage. I might have even said 'yes' if he had asked me. But that wasn't just it." Kanna placed a hand on her abdomen that had grown as the child inside her grew. "According to the customs of my people, when a couple is betrothed they are considered as good as married, so we were required to share a room. I asked Pakku if we could wait until at least the official ceremony, but...he didn't want to wait. After that, I couldn't stand living in a place where a woman has no voice, I packed up a few belongings and escaped."

"But, what about your people? Surely, if you were their only princess they would be out searching until you were brought back."

"I wasn't their _only_ princess. My mother died when I was young, and my father married a widow who had a daughter. My step-sister, Lucca, will likely become the new heir. She already has a son, so her claim would be justified. I'm sure that little Arnook will be a great Chief one day. My only regret is that I must have hurt so many people. My father, Lucca, my best friend Yugoda, Pakku...Whatever else he was, I know he cared about me. I guess, he just didn't care about me _enough_."

"I am so sorry, Kanna. I had to leave behind someone I care about too."

"You did?"

"My husband. Khan. He's the greatest Firebending Master the world has ever seen. And he's a close personal friend of Fire Lord Azulon." Lan-Yin's smiled sadly. "I love him so much, and I am sad that he has chosen to support the war. But, I'm not sure if he'll give up everything he has just to follow me."

"Why wouldn't he follow you?"

"Khan...well, he doesn't know how to make his own decisions sometimes. He has some sort of obsession with honor. He acts as though the only way to keep his honor intact is to do what the Fire Lord says. That's probably why Azulon trusts him so much, because he knows that Khan would never desert the Fire Nation."

"Not even for you?"

Lan-Yin looked into the fire pit, remembering the happier days, before the war.

* * *

"There they are." Lin stated. "The Heng Mountains."

To say it was a long way up would have been a drastic understatement. The mountains went straight from the edge of the desert, up a monstrously steep slope, and into the sky above.

"Hey," Lin turned to Xia, "can that flying buffalo-thing of yours carry all of us up that?"

"Of course she can!" Xia exclaimed dramatically.

"You sure, Sunshine? Because she had trouble enough _before_ Sparky over there joined us."

"Lakshmi is perfectly capable of carrying all of us up."

"Okay, but once we're up, we'll have to do a lot of walking."

"Why?" Hama asked. "Can't we just keep flying?"

"No. The snowstorms get pretty bad up there. And there's the chance of being spotted by the Fire Nation. Trust me on this."

Grudgingly, everyone consented to the Earthbender's wishes.

**Okay, sorry I made it so short. I'm still working on it. But, I'll try and update as soon as I can.**


	14. The Battle of the Heng Mountains

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Okay, I would like to thank you all for giving me so much support with this. I'm trying really hard to make this story work, but as a certain review pointed out I have been going to much in sync with the original story and there is not enough originality. Thank you '****The Dark Door****' for your review, it was quite the eye-opener. I wanted to tie this story to the original plot but I guess I overdid it a little too much. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, or Disney's Mulan as there is going to be serious Mulan parody in a part of this chapter.**

The Battle of the Heng Mountains

"I still don't get why we can't have Lakshmi fly us there." Hama stated. Not that she was unhappy about the cold, in fact she had missed it a great deal since she and Akeela left the Southern Water Tribe, it's just that she didn't understand how using the giant bison to fly them there was a bad idea.

"How many times do I have to say it, Cranky?" Lin said with irritation. "We can't risk being spotted by the Fire Nation. We should probably set up camp for the night."

Hama grumbled, but began to help the others unpack for the night. Lin went off and Earthbended herself a tent.

"The least she could do is help us unpack." Hama said with irritation.

"Try telling _her_ that." Kanna responded.

* * *

That evening they all huddled around the campfire for warmth. Xia and Lan-Yin seemed to dislike the cold weather the most; Lan-Yin because she grew up in the Fire Nation, and Xia because she grew up in the Western Air Temple that was very near the Fire Nation. Lan-Yin remembered the first time she had ever seen snow; when she was little, her father used Waterbending to create snowflakes, he would tell her all about his journey to the Northern Water Tribe.

"How about we tell some scary stories?" Hama suggested.

"T-they're n-not t-too scary, are they?" Xia stuttered, it was hard to tell if it was from the cold or fear.

"They're scream-your-head-off scary."

Xia whimpered and pulled her blanket more closely around her.

"Hama tells the best scary stories in the whole tribe." Akeela stated. "She can make anyone get scared."

"Not very hard for _you_, Akeela."

"Well, come on." Kanna said. "What's the super scary story you wanna tell us?"

Hama smirked, an almost _evil_ look in her eyes.

"It's the legend of the Snow Wolves. It's an ancient Southern Water Tribe story."

"But no one tells it better than Hama."

"Akeela, stop being such a kiss-up. Anyway." Hama started to lower her voice as she spoke, making the story sound creepier. "The founder of our tribe, Avatar Setna, had built a beautiful city for our people to live in. But, by trespassing on their land, the spirits who resided in the frozen tundra became angry. A few days after the settlers had moved into their homes, a terrible blizzard hit. It buried the entire city for weeks, but Setna managed to keep everyone alive. She used her Waterbending to create a series of tunnels that connected each igloo, so they could all get supplies around to everyone. Then, one night, weird noises were heard in the tunnels. People heard a low growling, and the sound of scratching, like claws digging in the snow. Everyone was too afraid to go out of their igloos. After this had been happening for several nights, Setna decided to investigate. She and her animal guide, a Polar-leopard named Anaba, made their way into the tunnel. Soon they heard the scratching and the growling. Anaba snarled in response to the noises, but they got louder. Setna decided to go to the surface and see if anything was out there. When she emerged, the blizzard was still raging, but she could just make out the shape of a white figure, that appeared to be a wolf. Setna stood at the ready, prepared to confront the animal, when it shape-shifted into a human-like being. It was a woman, she stood about 7ft tall, had white hair, silver eyes, and sharp fangs. The spirit's name was Hakidonmuya, and she was very angry by the presence of outsiders. Setna tried to bargain with her, but she wouldn't hear of it. Hakidonmuya demanded that the settlers leave, or something worse would come. Setna refused, saying that the land belonged to the humans, and the spirits were simply there to protect it. Hakidonmuya became even more enraged, and swore vengeance. Soon, people began disappearing. It started off with a few children, but eventually more and more people went missing. Setna created one large igloo, right in the middle of the still-buried city, and ordered everyone inside. The first night inside the new igloo, Setna was awoken when Anaba started to paw desperately at her. She then noticed that her eldest son, Catori, was missing. Setna was furious, she bolted from the igloo and went straight out into the blizzard. There she saw her son, surrounded by a pack of white wolves. Setna charged at them, ready to defend her son, when Hakidonmuya appeared. She smiled wickedly and scraped her fangs over Catori's arm. Seeing her son hurt sent Setna into her Avatar State. I'm sure you all know what an Avatar State is." Everyone nodded. "Setna summoned all her power to fight Hakidonmuya and banish her to the Spirit World. The wolves all vanished into the night, and the blizzard finally stopped. Setna carried Catori back to the igloo. Every healer tried their best to heal the boy, but something strange happened to him. His dark skin turned pale, his blue eyes turned silver, he grew wolf-like teeth, and the scratch on his arm left a permanent mark." Everyone looked at Hama. She had pale skin, and silver eyes, and her canine teeth were slightly longer than normal giving her a wolf-like smile. "It's said that Catori grew up, and was made Chief of the tribe. And a long line of his descendants still preside in the Southern Water Tribe. Whenever the tribe is buried in a blizzard, weird things happen. Sometimes you can hear the wolves calling, beckoning to their human brothers and sisters to join them as Snow Wolves."

Everyone was freaked out. Even Akeela, who had heard the story many times over, was acting really wimpy, but he often acted like that.

"Okay," Kanna spoke up, "I think that's enough storytelling for tonight. Everyone get to bed now."

As Kanna and Hama got into their sleeping bags, which were right next to each other, Hama turned to Kanna with a sly grin.

"I hope my little story didn't scare you too much, Kanna."

"It didn't, as a matter of fact. I think it was merely one of your infantile attempts to intimidate the rest of us."

"What can I say? I like scaring people. It's part of who I am."

"Gee, I guess that means you are every bit a Snow Wolf as your story implied."

* * *

"Time to get up everyone!" Lin shouted.

Everyone shifted around irritably, stumbling out of their sleeping bags.

"Come on, quit your belly-aching. We'll be at the base in a few hours."

They group trudged through the snow. Hama was still mumbling about not taking the flying-bison to get to the mountain base, but Lin just ignored her. Lin looked more cheerful than anyone in the group had ever seen her. Usually, she was crass and rude and liked to make fun of everybody; but today she was excited, eager, and even helpful at times. Lin had mostly been looking out for herself since she first joined the group, but whenever someone had a problem, Lin would just go ahead and help.

"I've been waiting for this moment for ages. I'll finally get to show how great an Earthbender I am in more than just one-on-one matches. I can't wait for you guys to meet my Aunt Wei. She's the coolest person ever. And a top-notch Earthbender."

Soon, they spotted the outlines of a small town. It had to be the place where General Wei was keeping her army, to keep out the Fire Nation army that was headed for Zhong. Lin didn't wait, she Earthbended herself straight up to the town gate. The others all hurried after her, laughing lightly and saying how happy they were to have _finally_ gotten to the rendezvous point. Their upbeat attitudes died, however, when they reached the spot where Lin had waited for them.

* * *

All they could see were smoldering remains of the town. The wood of the buildings was quickly turning into nothing more than burnt ashes. Lin's expression was unreadable, but she was probably too much in shock to fully take in what she saw. The others all looked around in horror that anyone could do something so awful. Lin suddenly regained control of herself.

"Spread out. Check for survivors."

As Lin looked, her expression become more and more confused.

"I don't get it. My aunt was supposed to be here."

"Lin!" Came a voice. Lin looked up and saw Kanna standing at the top of a snow-bank, pointing beyond. Lin walked over, and gasped in horror at what she saw. A large expanse of land, littered with dead bodies, and not just the bodies of soldiers. Men, women, and children had all been butchered. Soon, another person stood beside her. Lan-Yin was just as horrified by what she saw.

"This is unreal. I knew my people were starting to take this war too far. But this...this isn't war. This is genocide."

Lin hung her head sadly. Then, as if her aunt's spirit were still with her, something told her that she needed to be strong. She still had the chance to save the Earth King. She just needed to stop the Fire Nation army before they got through the mountains and reached Zhong. Lin straightened herself up, and her emerald eyes gleamed with a hunger for justice.

"We need to keep moving. There's nothing we can do here. We are the last hope for the Earth King. Move out!"

The group began to make their way through the mountain pass.

* * *

"Do you guys hear that?" Lin asked.

"I don't hear anything." Hama said.

"Exactly. It's too quiet."

Lin closed her eyes, knelt to the ground, and then slammed her hand down onto the earth that was buried beneath the snow.

"Yep, just as I thought. They're out there. As long as we stay quiet we shouldn't attract their attention."

As if on cue, they heard a loud sound of crashing behind them. When they turned, they saw Xia sitting in Lakshmi's saddle, a bunch of provisions and things had fallen onto the ground, the effect of which caused the sound of the crash to echo around the surrounding mountains.

"What happened?" Lin demanded.

Xia pointed to Tao.

"She did it."

"A lemur caused our supplies to crash to the ground? Let's just hope that the echo wasn't loud enough to alert th-"

Lin was cut off by an explosion. A Fire Nation bomb had been launched at them.

"Take cover!"

Lin Earthbended a wall for them to get behind. Lan-Yin was clutching her daughter for dear life, Akeela looked like he was going to have a panic attack, Xia was absolutely terrified, but Kanna was staying calm and collected. Kanna finally saw a chance to be of help because, as not many people knew, she had a knack for strategy.

"We need to stop them." Lin stated. "If they get to Zhong, the Earth King is doomed. Any ideas?"

"I have one." Kanna spoke up.

Everyone turned to her.

"There's too many of them to fight directly. Right now they're just attacking us because they can, they don't even care if we're soldiers or not, this is just a blood-sport to them. Lin, Earthbend a large boulder; Xia, get some of the tarps." Everyone looked puzzled for a moment but followed what she said. Once they had laid the tarps over the boulder, and secured them, Kanna went on with the next phase of her plan.

"Okay, do we have any sort of flammable liquid? Like oil or tar?"

"Got'cha covered." Lan-Yin said, producing a large flask of black oil. "Illah required us to have this in case we needed to make emergency bombs."

"Perfect. Now, we need to spread it on the tarps. Then, when I give the signal, Lan-Yin will light it on fire and Lin will Earthbend it towards that point." She pointed to a spot on the snow-covered mountain. "The effect should cause an avalanche, and we'll escape on Lakshmi."

"Just one problem." Xia said as she looked over the top of the earth wall.

"And that would be?"

"We need to be much closer to get the right angle, and the Fire Nation army has stopped firing and is now about to charge us."

They all looked around to see the outlines of the vast army, all set to charge them down.

Lin narrowed her eyes.

"Then what are we waiting for? Move it, people! Move it!"

They scrambled to get in position. By the time they were all set, the Fire Nation army was practically upon them.

"Kanna! I don't know if I can launch it far enough!" Lin shouted.

"Lan-Yin! Xia! When I give the signal I want you two to put all the Bending power you've got behind this boulder!"

They nodded in consent. The three Benders stood at the ready.

"Steady!" The troops were advancing fast. "Steady!

"Anytime now, Kanna!" Lin shouted.

When Kanna was absolutely certain that they were at the right point, there was only one thing left to do.

"Launch!"

* * *

As they looked over the side of the bison's saddle, they could see that nothing was moving. Kanna's plan had worked.

"I gotta say, Sweetness." Lin spoke up. "That was some pretty quick thinking."

"From you, Lin, I'll take that as a compliment. But, you all did all the work."

"Don't sell yourself short, Sweetness. I've never seen someone come up with a plan on the spot like that. You're a hero."

Kanna felt proud. She had shown that she was a great strategist after all. As a woman, no one had ever thought her ideas had ever been any good, at the North Pole at least. But she knew now that she had what it took to be a leader.

"Those scumbags got what they deserved." Hama said. "An icy death to rival the fire they used to destroy the people from that village."

Everyone noticed a slightly unusual tone in Hama's voice. She seemed to be relishing the deaths of those Fire Nation troops a little more than she should, and it disturbed the others. As they all flew to find a place to camp for the night, no one paid attention to the strange way Hama stared up at the almost-full moon.

**Yes, this was quite a doosy to write. I hope I've given better character development. I like how I've made Kanna the strategist f the group now. Hama's acting weird, isn't she? Well, we all know what happened to **_**her**_**. Did you all pick up on the Mulan-esqe plot of this chapter? Oh, and as for the names in Hama's story: 'Hakidonmuya' is Hopi Indian for 'time of waiting moon', 'Catori' is Hopi Indian for 'spirit', 'Anaba' is Navajo Indian for 'returns from war', and 'Setna' is the name of an Inuit sea-goddess.**

**See you soon for the next chapter in Kanna's Story: The Journey.**


	15. Unnecessary Attention

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Hey, it's me again. I am just curious if anyone has any ideas for some new adventures I could do for this story. I'm going to try and avoid going back to the original show's plot, I really overdid that, I am so sorry, but I think the last chapter was pretty good. I will keep using some of Toph's nicknames for the Gaang as nicknames that Lin gives to her friends. Today's story, finds our young heroes in the town of Zhong as the Earth King makes his grand procession, and no one is aware that it was our rag-tag team who stopped the Fire Nation army. Once again, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Staying Hidden

Everyone in the town of Zhong had shown up for the huge event. Bright green banners hung from the houses, confetti flew through the air, and the crowds lined up along the street to see the King of Ba Sing Se in his palanquin, making his way along the street as part of a ceremony to greet the loyal citizens of the town. The only people not in the crowd were sitting in a tea shop that overlooked the street.

"These people have no idea that they were so close to being butchered." Lin said as she sipped her cup of mint tea.

"Maybe it's better they don't know." Kanna said, causing the others to look up at her. "I mean, the last thing we need is to draw attention to ourselves."

Lin sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"My whole plan in running away from home was so I could join my aunt and fight in the army. I don't know what to do now. I could always go and enlist, but it wouldn't be the same taking orders from someone other than her. My aunt was my inspiration. I told you all about my grandfather, Sud Lao, and how he trained Avatar Roku in Earthbending." At the mention of her father, Lan-Yin tensed. "My aunt was his eldest child, and trained alongside Avatar Roku. She told me how he once tried flirting with her, and that ended with her very nearly breaking his arm." Everyone laughed a little, except Lan-Yin. "Oh lighten up, Sparky. Roku married your mom in the end, didn't he? So don't keep giving me that look. Anyway, I don't think I can join the army if my aunt...if she isn't there, but there's no way in the Nine Hells I'm going back home."

"You could come with _us_!" Xia suggested enthusiastically.

"Xia, you can't be serious." Hama said irritably, causing Lin to glare at her.

"You got a problem with me?"

"Actually, I do. You're stubborn, arrogant, you act like you're in charge of us but you're not, you hardly do anything to help us unless there's something in it for _you_-"

"Look here, Cranky-"

"Will you stop calling me that?" Hama shouted. "My name is _Hama_. I am a Waterbending prodigy, my uncle is the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, and _I_ was the one who thought up this whole group in the first place. It started out as just me and Akeela. When Kanna joined us that should have been the end of it. We didn't need any more people joining us."

"What about me?" Xia asked, a little hurt by Hama's words.

"You are annoying, you've gotten us in trouble with the Fire Nation, you get distracted at the slightest thing, and whenever we meet a new person you instantly want them to join our group. Frankly, the only thing you've done to help us was bringing along that giant bison of yours."

Xia started to cry at what Hama had said. Kanna hugged the little Airbender and attempted to reassure her. Akeela had never heard Hama say anything so outright cruel. Usually her insults were only ever directed at him, and often done in a joking manner. Akeela had had enough, it was time to do something he never thought he would ever do. He was going to stand up to Hama.

"Hama, _enough_." Everyone turned at the authoritative voice the young healer used. "We need to have a talk." Akeela took Hama by the hand and led her off to the other side of the tea house. They walked out onto the covered balcony, luckily it was deserted.

"Okay, Hama, what's the problem?"

"You know what the problem is. It's all these _losers_ who've joined up with us. It was better off when it was just you and me. Two old friends exploring the world together. No one else there to bother us. When Kanna joined us that was fine. I like Kanna. She's been through so much in her life and it was nice to help her find herself. But now, I just want to go home. I hate all the things that have changed. I hate how everything is so different from back home."

"Hama, we all need to learn to survive. The people we've met along the way, they're becoming our friends. At least they were until that tirade you unleashed on them. But, I never would've thought you were so opposed to trying to adapt to new people and situations. Maybe this is an indicator that we shouldn't go home just yet."

Hama turned to look Akeela in the eyes. He saw tears starting to stream down her face. She seemed so vulnerable.

"The Hama I know wouldn't cry. She wouldn't sulk and pout about things not going the way she's used to. She'd face the problem and say 'bring it on'."

"Yeah, well, the Hama you know is pretty pissed off."

"Hama, I've been meaning to ask. Why haven't we talked about what happened in that cave?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She turned away to hide the blush that was spreading over her cheeks.

"Oh, I think you _do_. We _kissed_, Hama. And neither of us has brought it up since. I'm just as guilty as you are, but I want to know why."

"We were both scared, and lost in a tunnel. We started getting close, we thought we were going to die. What do you want from me?"

"I want you to stop being so defensive about everything. You know that I care about you. We've been best friends for years, but more than that. Hama I..."

"You what?"

He turned away.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything. Clearly what I say doesn't matter to you. I shouldn't have even bothered." He stormed off.

The young healer went to sit by himself in the little garden outside the tea shop. He sighed, frustrated with himself.

"Great job, Akeela. You just missed your chance to tell her how you feel about her." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of whale-tooth that he had been planning on carving. He took out his pocket-knife and began to carve. Spirits help him, but he wasn't an artist.

* * *

"Remember Kong, you are merely to apprehend Lan-Yin. No harm is to come to either her or the baby."

"Don't worry, Khan. You can count on me."

"And also, Azulon said that if we find the Airbender that she is to be brought in alive as well. Just in case she knows if there are other Airbenders that survived."

"Khan, rest assured. We will capture the Airbender, and retrieve your wife and daughter, with no harm to any of them. Have I ever let you down?"

"Please don't make me answer that."

The young chi-blocker pouted in disdain at his older associate.

"We won't fail, Khan."

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Opossum-chicken. How goes it?" Lin said as she approached Akeela.

"How goes what?" He replied.

Lin rolled her eyes.

"How'd your talk with, Cranky, go?"

"Fine, I guess."

Lin came over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"So what'cha doin'?"

"Carving."

"Carving what?"

"Whale-tooth."

"I know _that_. What are you carving _from_ the whale-tooth?"

Akeela sighed.

"A comb."

"Well your hair _is_ pretty messy."

"It's not for me. It's going to be a gift for Hama."

"Why are you doing something nice for a jerk like her?"

"She's my best friend. She's looked out for me since I was a kid. A lot of other kids used to make fun of me because I'm only good at healing and not stuff like fighting. Hama stood up for me. Told those kids to back off or she'd cause them some serious hurt."

"Huh, sure sounds like something she would do."

"I latched onto her after that. I've always been too afraid to stand up for myself."

"Until today."

"Huh?"

"You stood up to Hama when she was totally out of line. I think that's pretty brave of you. I mean, I never would have expected that from you. Since I joined up with you guys, you've appeared to be a big sissy. No offence."

"None taken. I'm fully aware that I'm a total opossum-chicken."

"But after today, I see you in a whole new light. You can be incredibly brave when you want. You're kind, compassionate, and you have a way of making us all feel like everything's going to be okay."

"I guess that comes from being a healer."

"No, it comes from _you_, Akeela. No matter what anyone thinks or says, you're a great guy."

"Thanks, Lin."

"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't mention it, or I'll break your arm."

"Duly noted."

With that, the two went to rejoin the others.

* * *

Hama walked back to where the others were sitting, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. She had never really apologized before. All her life she had heard that admitting you're wrong is a sign of weakness. At least, that's what her mother always told her. Hama had striven, ever since she discovered she was a Waterbender, to be like her mother. Inanna was a tough woman, she always demanded perfection from those she taught Waterbending to, and her daughter was no exception. Being the middle child, Hama had always sought to make herself stand out, and to do that she had created a hard exterior and a dominant personality. She hated being wrong, it made her feel foolish and weak. But maybe, just this once, she could apologize for her treatment of Lin and Xia.

Hama decided to start with Xia. The little Airbender had stopped crying, but her eyes still looked sort of puffy. Hama bowed her head slightly.

"Xia, I wish to apologize for what I said to you earlier. It was uncalled for, and mean. And you didn't deserve it. I won't make any excuses for my behavior, but I hope you will forgive me."

Xia's face lit up with a big smile, and she tackled the Waterbender in a hug that caused Hama to cringe.

"Of course I forgive you! I am so happy we're friends again!"

Hama sighed, defeated, and reciprocated the hug. When Xia finally let her go, Hama turned to Lin.

"Miss Lao. Lin, I should say. I want to apologize to you as well. My harshness towards you was unjust, especially considering all you did in the mountains to help stop the Fire Nation army. I suppose I am a little envious that you were able to do so much, whereas I was stuck watching. I am sorry for what I said to you."

Lin gave a slight smile, then gave Hama a friendly punch on the arm.

"Apology accepted, Cranky."

Hama winced at the nickname.

* * *

"There she is. I see the Airbender." Kong said as he looked through his spy-glass. "I'll go after _her_. You go get your wife and child, Khan."

The two Fire Nation men, disguised in dark, Earth Kingdom clothes, stealthily made their way in through the back of the tea-shop. Before anyone had a chance to realize what was happening, the two men burst in and attacked. Kong leapt in, hitting random people's chi-points. Khan, in addition to being a Firebending prodigy, was also a master swordsman. So, to avoid drawing attention to the fact that he was a Firebender, he withdrew an elegant sword and raised it in defense.

"Oh great," said Hama, "it's that weirdo who can block chi points. Who's your friend?"

Lan-Yin's eyes widened at the sight of the two familiar men.

"Khan?"

"Lan-Yin, please come quietly, and Azulon will pardon you for your treason." Khan requested sincerely.

Lan-Yin narrowed her eyes.

"Defending harmless refugees is hardly an act of treason. It would be best if you leave, Khan. You're outnumbered."

Khan gave that smug smile of his. Lan-Yin grit her teeth, her husband always knew how to get under her skin, it was one of the things that had made her fall for him.

Lin stepped forward.

"You think you're a real hot-shot just because you can hold a sword? Well, so can I." Lin pulled out the old sword she carried at her side, it had belonged to her father, along with the armor she wore.

"Don't mess with me, kid." Khan replied. "You don't know who you're up against."

Lin refused to move, even without Earthbending she was sure she could take this guy.

"Well, how about I find out?"

Lin didn't even give Khan a chance to react. As soon as she posed her question, she charged. Metal hit metal. Lan-Yin wanted to stop them, she didn't want either of them to get hurt. The others were so distracted by the swordfight, none of them noticed that Xia and Kong had disappeared. Well, not so much 'disappeared', as Kong went straight after Xia, leading her to Airbend herself up to the roof of the tea-shop, Kong used his tremendous agility to follow her. The two 14-year-olds faced each other, as they balanced effortlessly on the beam that went across the top of the roof. Kong made the first move, diving at Xia and attempting to hit her chi-points. Xia, expertly dodged each of his attacks, then twirled around him so that their backs were pressed up against each other, thus blocking his access to her.

"Wow, you're pretty talented, cutie." Kong said.

"I could say the same about _you_." Xia responded. "My name's Xia, by the way."

"I'm Kong. Huh, I've never come up against an Airbender until you. Are you all this tricky to get an angle on?"

"It's pretty much a standard trait."

Taking the momentary distraction, Kong moved his leg in front of hers, allowing him to spin around her and block her Bending. Xia winced at the sensation; when she attempted to Airbend, nothing happened.

"A word to the wise, cutie, don't let your guard down in a fight."

"Hmph. Well it's not fair. My people never really needed to fight, until you Fire Nation people came along and decided to _attack_ us."

"Meh, not my problem."

He made another attempt to hit her pressure points, only this time he aimed to disable her. But, just because Xia couldn't Airbend didn't mean she wasn't as agile as she was. Before he even had the chance to touch her, she leapt up and did a backwards flip to land behind him. Moving quickly, she set her hands on his back, so that as he turned she turned as well, making it impossible to get her. Xia then remembered the first time Kong had attacked them, and the point he had hit on Hama to cause her to collapse. She hit the exact same point on Kong, and he slumped to ground.

"Wow. I'm impressed. You learn quick, don't ya, cutie?"

Xia smiled proudly.

"However, you forgot to disable my legs."

With that, he kicked her in the shins, forcing her down. He then made an attempt to pin her, using only his legs. Unfortunately, the effort made him slip, and he began to tumble down the side of the roof. Kong saw how high up they were, and that when he fell from the roof he would surely be done for; those thoughts died, however, when a certain Air Nomad grabbed the back of his robe right as he was about to fall. Xia gave him a sweet and friendly smile, and helped him sit on the edge of the roof.

"You saved me." It wasn't a question.

"You're too pretty to die." Xia responded, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, right before she ducked back down into the tea-shop; leaving the Fire Nation chi-blocker very flustered.

When Xia reentered the tea-shop, the swordfight was still going on. Lin had a nasty cut on her cheek, and Khan had a bad gash in his left leg. The two Water Tribe girls were trying to hold Lan-Yin back to keep her from getting involved, while Akeela was holding the baby to keep her away from the fighting.

"So who's winning?" Xia asked Akeela.

"They're both pretty evenly matched. I'm just worried that they might end up causing some serious damage to each other."

"Ooh, I know what to do!" Xia darted across the room and jabbed Khan in the pressure-point that she knew would disable him. When he dropped to the floor, Lin was very tempted to finish him off; but, as she raised her sword, Xia put a hand on her shoulder and motioned for her to turn around. When Lin saw the sad look on Lan-Yin's face at what she was about to do, Lin sheathed her sword and gestured for them all to leave.

**Yes, finally finished this chapter. Hope you all liked it. Please review and tell me if I'm improving. I want to know if I'm getting original now. See ya later.**


	16. Under No Circumstances

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**That last chapter was really good, if I do say so myself. I'm glad that my readers are so supportive and helpful, thank you all. This was a bit of a tough one to write, but I think it's good. Sorry I took so long, I've been having problems with my computer. Once again, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Under No Circumstances

"No."

"But, Lin-"

"No! Under _no_ circumstances!"

The little Airbender pouted.

"But I've never been to as big a city as Ba Sing Se." She whined. "I wanna see it. _Please_."

"What part of the word 'no' do you not understand?"

"Why do you hate Ba Sing Se so much?" Kanna asked.

"I just _do_. And we are leaving it at that."

"No one hates something without a reason." Hama stated. "That just wouldn't make sense."

Lin glared at the Waterbender.

"We are _not_ going to Ba Sing Se. Kindly respect my wish to avoid that place."

"I have to agree with Lin." Lan-Yin said. "I'm not sure if this has registered with you all, but I doubt it would be wise for a _Firebender_ to go into the city that the Fire Nation is seeking to conquer."

"Fine," Kanna consented, "but we should at least fly over it."

Lin grumbled, but didn't retort.

Soon they were flying over Ba Sing Se. While the others ooh-ed and ah-ed at the enormous and impenetrable city below, Lin sat at the back of the bison's saddle and brooded, bitterness written all over her face.

"Lin," Xia called to the Earthbender, "you need to look! It's incredible!"

"You see a big city once, you've seen it a thousand times! And it doesn't matter if it's from a different level of perspective!" She snapped.

Xia pouted in frustration, but said nothing else on the matter. Later, they had all camped a good distance away.

* * *

"Lin, just tell us why you hate Ba Sing Se." Hama dead-panned.

Lin glared back, but finally something in her resolve broke and she revealed what bothered her.

"Shen Bei Fong! If I ever see your sorry face again, I'll wipe the floor of the Earthbending arena with it!" When she finally came back to herself, and realized what she had just said, her face turned red with embarrassment. Everyone stared, mouths agape.

Hama suddenly had a big, sneaky grin on her face.

"Lin, who's Shen Bei Fong?" She asked.

"None of your spirits-damned business!" At the sound of the curse word, Lan-Yin put her hands over her infant daughter's ears.

"Aw, come on, Lin. We just want to know who he is."

"No! You're not getting another word out of me about that prissy, stuck-up, obnoxious, pig-headed, arrogant bastard!"

Hama gave her a look.

"Not one word, Hama. Not one, single, word."

"Is this Shen guy your boyfriend?"

The corner of Lin's eye twitched, but then her face broke into a proud smile.

"Ha! He wishes! He's just a loser whose butt I kicked in Earthbending matches."

"Then why do you hate him so much?"

Lin's eyes narrowed at the memory of Shen Bei Fong.

"I _know_ he cheated in that last match. There's no way he beat me fair-and-square. It _had_ to have been rigged."

"Sure it did, Lin." Hama said sarcastically.

* * *

The last thing any of them expected was an ambush. Not only that, an ambush by one very cocky Earthbender. A very cocky Earthbender that seemed to know Lin very well. Very well indeed.

"Lin, it's good to see you again."

"No."

"No?"

"No, we are not doing this, Shen."

"Not doing what?"

"You are going to leave, right now, and never come into my life again."

"Wait, Lin," Hama spoke up, "_this_ is the guy you told us about?"

Shen instantly got a great big smirk on his face.

"Lin told you about me?"

"She sure did. Something about wiping the floor of an arena with your face, or something."

The smirk fell.

"Lin, don't tell me you're still holding a grudge?"

"I know you cheated in that match!" Lin screamed. "Admit it! Admit I'm the best!"

"No." Shen said calmly. "I don't think I will."

"Then you leave me no choice. Earthbending battle. Right here, right now!"

"Lin, be reasonable."

"It was a fluke! I was having an off day!...You cheated!"

Shen sighed.

"Fine. If that's what it takes for you to finally swallow your pride."

The others found themselves being raised from the ground and onto seats like you would watch a sporting event from, that had been created by the two Earthbenders.

"I guess this is Lin's fight." Kanna stated.

The two Earthbenders faced each other in their arena. Suddenly, Lin whipped out a sash that she tied around her eyes. Shen rolled his eyes, sometimes Lin could be so overly-dramatic. They got into their stances. Shen knew he should wait for Lin to make the first real, Earthbending move, so he simply moved his foot like he was going to do an Earthbending kick and Lin took the bait. She raised her arms to redirect a rock that never came in that direction; instead, Shen used his hands to Earthbend a rock towards Lin's stomach while she was distracted. In seconds, it was all over.

"There, Lin, are you satisfied that I didn't cheat?" He asked as he helped her stand back up.

"Fine," she grumbled, "you didn't cheat."

"So...who's the best Earthbender in the world?"

"Don't push your luck, Shen."

The others all left their seats and came over to see if Lin was okay.

"So, wait," Hama said, "how _do_ you guys know each other?"

Shen smiled.

"Lin and I have been friends for years." Lin shot him a look that he ignored. "As Lin got more advanced in her Earthbending, her parents started having her compete in tournaments at the Earthbending Academy of Ba Sing Se. I had been observing her matches, and figured out the key to what she calls 'blind Earthbending', where she covers her eyes to focus on the vibrations in the earth. I also figured out a way to beat it. So, I challenged Lin to a friendly duel, and she's never let it go that I won fair-and-square."

"And what exactly are you doing out here?" Lin asked irately. "And what do you mean by ambushing us?"

"Lin, your parents sent me to bring you back home."

"No."

"Lin-"

"No! I will never go back to Gaoling! I don't care what Mom and Dad asked of you, but I'm never going back!"

"Well then, I guess there's only one thing left to do."

"Yes! A duel to the death." Lin unsheathed her sword.

"Uh, no. I meant that I should accompany you on your journey."

"What?"

"Your parents asked me to make sure you're safe."

"I can look after myself. I don't need you. And there's no way I'm letting a chump like you tag along."

"Well, like it or not, I've sworn to keep you safe. So, one way or another, I'm going with you."

"No! Never, in the names of all the spirits, will you be coming with us!"

Lakshmi's saddle was just a little bit crowded the next day.

**Sorry to cut this short. I know the group's starting to get bigger, and you all are probably wondering how one flying-bison can carry so many people. But, please, just go with it. Please review.**


	17. The Quest Begins

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. Oh, I am open to any suggestions about how to improve my story. Or any ideas for a mini-adventure our young travelers can go on. **

The Quest Begins

"Well done, Kanna." Lan-Yin said to the young Water Tribe woman after they had finished another hand-to-hand combat training session.

"I think you were taking it easy on me because I'm pregnant."

"Kanna, something you need to learn about me is that I never 'take it easy' on anyone. That was all you."

They were met by some applause by the others who had gathered around to watch. Lin was still pretty cranked that Shen had insisted upon joining their group, and she really hated his smug, wise-ass attitude. It used to be that he was simply a smug, snooty, snobbish, and self-absorbed jerk, but away from the demands of upper-class society he was even worse. And to top it all off, he kept making passes at her. Every time he got a little too close for comfort, Lin tried to find an excuse to get away from him.

"Hey, Kanna! How's about I teach you how to handle a sword?" Lin offered.

"Oh..um, okay." Kanna answered, unsure.

Lin picked up two large sticks, she gave one to Kanna and then stood at-the-ready. The lesson went on for a good couple of hours, but Kanna was really learning fast.

"Wow," Lin said, "you're a natural. I think it's time for you to practice with a real sword." Lin turned to Lan-Yin. "Hey, Sparks, could ya lend me one of your swords for Kanna to practice with."

"These are dual-dao swords," the Firebender explained, "they do not function in the same manner as _your_ sword."

"Eh, same difference."

Lan-Yin scowled but handed Kanna one of the twin blades, as Lin withdrew her own sword. Kanna did just as well with actual swords.

"Well, sweetness, I must say, you really are pretty good at Nonbending styles of fighting."

"Thanks, Lin. I know you don't give out compliments lightly."

The two bowed to each other as a sign of respect.

"Hey, where are Hama and Akeela?" Kanna inquired.

Everyone shrugged. Kanna figured they must be practicing Waterbending over at the nearby stream, so she walked off in that direction. She heard the sound of splashing and headed out of the bushes.

"Hama! Akeela! Come let's get back to..." She trailed off when she saw what she had walked in on.

Both the Waterbenders were in their under-bindings, as that's how they often practiced in that climate, and they had both fallen into the water, with Hama lying on top of Akeela. But what was most compromising about the whole thing, was that they were in mid-kiss. They looked up at Kanna, their mouths still connected, and she got the feeling that she had intruded upon something private, so she just edged away from the scene, then hightailed it back to camp.

"Hey, Kanna." Lin greeted.

"What?" She responded defensively. "I didn't see anything!"

"What?"

"Oh, nothing, never mind."

"Did you find them?"

"Oh..yeah, they'll be along in a minute."

She joined the others by the campfire. Lin then took notice of how quiet Xia was being.

"Hey, what's the matter, sunshine? You seem very gray. Do you miss your weird little chi-blocker friend?"

"Leave me alone." Xia muttered sadly.

"Xia, what's wrong? You've never been so down before."

"I'm going for a walk." The little Airbender stood up and walked off into the woods.

"What got into her?" Shen asked.

"Oh, shut up, Shen." Lin snapped.

* * *

Xia didn't know why she was so sad, it had just crept up on her. Suddenly she felt the need to run as fast as she could. Being an Airbender she could run very fast, and it was no time when she came to a small ridge that overlooked a peaceful valley with a tiny village. She watched the lights slowly dimming and imagined the lives those people led. She realized then why she was sad. She missed her people, very badly. Why had they just left her behind, without even saying goodbye? Where had they gone? Were they alright? The thoughts made the young girl begin to cry.

"Tears should not stain the face of such a young person." Came a calm voice. Xia looked up and saw an older woman; her hair was graying slightly and she was already walking with a cane, but her face and eyes were kind and gentle. She sat down next to the troubled girl.

"What is the matter, young one?"

"I miss my people." She choked on a sob. "They just disappeared and left me behind. I don't think I'll ever see them again."

The woman put a hand on Xia's shoulder.

"Young lady, your people live."

"What? How?"

The woman pointed towards the South.

"There is a legend of a fifth temple of the Air Nomads. Hidden for millennia. It is said to be in a city lost to the world. Hidden within a mountain pass, surrounded by the Hayate Cliffs, lies the ancient city of Hikaru. A city that was built so that people from all nations may live in peace."

"That sounds nice, but is it real?"

"Isn't it worth taking the chance to see for yourself?"

Xia pondered for a moment.

"You're right. It _is_ worth taking a chance. Thank you , miss-"

When she turned, the woman was gone. Xia leapt up and zoomed back to the others.

* * *

"So, you expect us to go after some legendary city, that some random old lady told you about before promptly disappearing, and the only real clue she gave you is to head South?" Lin interrogated.

"Uh-huh." Xia nodded cheerfully.

"Well, I don't have anything better to do. Why not?"

"Yay!"

The next morning, they all packed up onto Lakshmi, and began to head South. During the flight, Hama and Akeela kept exchanging awkward glances, which made Kanna uncomfortable as she knew what was going on between them. Xia kept on rambling about her life at the Air Temple and all her old friends, and so on. Lin tried to sit as far away from Shen as possible, but he kept moving to sit closer to her, much to her vexation. Needless to say, it was an awkward and uncomfortable flight.

**Sorry, another short chapter, but it's going places. Oh, I might not be able to update as often as I start college on Wednesday. Just a little request, I want to know who your favorite character is, or if there's any suggestions you have to improve a character. The name 'Hayate' is Japanese for 'smooth', and 'Hikaru' is Japanese for 'light, or radiance'. Please review.**


	18. A Gentleman's Endeavor

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Hey, folks, it's me again. Once more, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

A Gentleman's Endeavor

"Ow!"

"Hama, are you alright?" Akeela asked as he helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, yeah." She sniped. "Don't make a fuss over me, you know it gets on my nerves."

Akeela ignored her comment, and set to work healing the scrapes she had gotten from her fall. Shen, who had been standing nearby, noticed the exchange. He had been observing interactions amongst Lin's travelling companions since he first joined. He had been a bit apprehensive about Lan-Yin at first, because she was a Firebender, but he quickly gained a respect for the woman. He noticed that Lin often butted-heads with Kanna and Hama, of course that is expected when there are several very strong-willed women in a single group. He was happy that there was at least another man in the group, he didn't know what he would do if it was just him and the girls; however, he did notice that Akeela was a little bit of a pushover, and resolved to help him with that. Once Hama continued to walk on, Shen stopped Akeela.

"So, what's the thing between you and little-miss-attitude-issues over there?" He asked as he pointed at Hama.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself over." Akeela answered politely.

"Come on, Akeela. We're buddies, right?"

"Well, I don't really know you that much. We only met a few days ago."

"Well, that's something I wish to remedy. We are going to be best buds, I can promise you."

"Are you sure you're not just saying that because I'm the only other guy in the group?"

"Aw, come on, man. Just trust me. I'll teach you everything I know about the ladies."

"I have a bad feeling about this."

"Come on, slow-pokes!" Lin yelled at them. "Keep up! We can't fly all the time, ya know!"

"I still hate walking." Xia complained.

"Watch this." Shen whispered to Akeela. He then went over to stand next to Lin. "Lin, that pack must be heavy, here, let me carry for you."

"Beat it, loser." She grumbled. "I can carry my own stuff, thank you very much."

It was a pretty interesting sight, especially since Shen was several inches shorter than Lin, so it made him look much less intimidating to be standing near to her.

"Come on, Lin. I'm just trying to be a _gentleman_." He put an arm around her shoulder. Lin responded by stamping her foot on the ground, causing Shen to be Earthbended down a few feet, making him look even shorter. She then walked on without another word.

"Very smooth." Akeela said with an uncommon note of sarcasm, as he pulled the head-strong young man out of the ground.

"Aw, she's just playing hard-to-get."

"Right. Of course she is."

* * *

Later that evening. Shen tried, once again, to make a move on Lin. Lin was getting pretty fed up with him.

"You know, Shen, you could actually do something useful instead of just being a dead weight."

"I am not a dead weight."

"Right, I meant to say an _annoying_ dead weight. Do something worthwhile. Go find us something to eat or whatever."

"Very well. I'll just do that. Come on, Akeela."

"What?" The young healer asked, confused.

"You heard me, come on."

Akeela let out a groan, but followed. They trudged into the dark woods, with a small lantern as their only light.

"Can we go back now?" Akeela asked, his voice trembling. "I don't like it here."

"Oh, man up, pal. You want to impress that Hama chick, right?"

"Well, you see-"

"Then shut up and observe."

Akeela rolled his eyes. He didn't care about 'being manly' and he knew Hama didn't care about him being tough. Boy, did he know _that_ for sure. The little incident the other day had proven as much. He had been attempting to improve his Waterbending, so he could do more than just heal, but try as he might he just couldn't get it. Hama had been nearby, practicing her own Waterbending. The sound of his splashes had made her think that there was a possible threat nearby, so she let out a blast of ice and pinned him to a tree. When she saw who it was, she was a bit embarrassed. She apologized to Akeela and began helping him with his form. He didn't get any better though, and began to get upset with himself. One thing led to another and Hama tackled him with a kiss, causing them to fall back into the water. That was when Kanna walked in, and things became awkward.

"Hey, keep up!" Shen called to him. Akeela had become lost in his thoughts, but then something hit him.

"Uh, Shen, which way is the camp?"

"Pfft, that's easy. It's right over...uh."

"You have no idea where we are, do you?"

"Of course I know where we are. We're...in the woods."

Akeela cocked an eyebrow.

"We're lost."

"We are not lost."

"Then take us back to camp."

"Fine. Follow me."

_A few hours later._

"We're lost!"

"I told you."

"Don't start with me, dude."

"Well, at least we have light." Akeela said as he held up the lantern. As if he'd said a jinx, the light went out.

The two held each other in fear.

"We're never gonna get out of here." Shen said despairingly. "We're doomed. Doomed!"

"Hey, Shen."

"Yeah?"

"If we don't make it out, I just want to know...why do you like Lin so much?" The air of fear was broken, and replaced by casual guy-talk time.

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean, she obviously doesn't like you, and yet you persist in bugging her. What's the deal with that?"

"Okay, I'll come out with it. Since we're probably gonna die out here, I guess I can tell you." He heaved a sigh. "For years, my family has been pushing me to pursue a relationship with Lin. I mean, her family is one of the most renowned noble families in the entire Earth Kingdom, and mine is just a well-to-do farming family. It would make sense, right? The rich boy with no title, married to the even richer girl with a big family name. We were never even to really be friends. As kids, both our families pushed us to be the best we could be in Earthbending. And as teens, they've been pushing us to pursue a romantic relationship. I always liked Lin, she has such a badass attitude, and she's not afraid to challenge authority. I guess the reason I've been trying so hard to make advances on her is because our parents just expected us to be together, and I would be letting everyone down if I don't get Lin to fall in love with me."

Akeela put a hand on the other boy's shoulder.

"Let me tell you something, Shen. Hama and I have been friends since we were kids, she stood up for me when others picked on me, she helped me out whenever I got myself in trouble, she makes me feel safe. And, I think she needs me too, even if she can't admit it. One major downside is, her family hates me; they think I'm a wimp, which I confess I am, and they've never liked me hanging out with her. With you and Lin, it's practically the opposite. You've never really had the chance to be friends, and your families are pushing you two together. Try to take it down more. Be her friend first, then maybe she'll see you as a potential romantic interest. Lin seems to be the type of girl who doesn't like things to be forced on her, and what you've been doing is exactly that. Just give her some space."

"Wow, Akeela. You're pretty smart."

"I try. Now, where were we?"

"Panicking about the fact that we're completely lost."

"Ah, yes. Help! Somebody help us!"

* * *

The sun was slowly peeking over the horizon, but two teenage boys were fast asleep under a tree.

"Shouldn't we wake them up?" Xia asked.

"They're kinda cute when they're asleep." Hama said, earning her a few side-glances. "Uh..ya know...because they're not awake to be stupid."

"So, should we?" Kanna asked.

"I'll take care of this." Lin said. She drew in a breath and then shouted at the top of her lungs. "Hey, losers! Wake up!"

"Wha-What?" They shouted as they stumbled over each other in their sudden awakening.

"What happened?" Akeela asked.

"You both must have fallen asleep." Kanna pointed out.

"Yeah, _after_ we got _lost_."

"What do you mean 'lost'?" Xia inquired. "The camp's just back there." She pointed.

The two boys looked incredibly embarrassed.

"We were really worried about you two." Kanna continued.

"Didn't you here us shouting?" Shen asked.

The girls all shrugged.

"Weird stuff does happen in the woods at night." Hama pointed out. "Maybe you guys thought you were shouting, but it was just your minds playing tricks."

"Yeah, maybe." Shen exchanged a look with Akeela, who also looked unsure.

"So, did either of you find any food?" Lin asked.

**Yes, a cute little chapter. I also wish to branch off from my last request, tell me your favorite male and female character, and/or your favorite couple.**


	19. Legends

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Hey, everyone, I'm back. I'm writing at my college now. Yippee! It's time for a filler episode. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Legends

It was night when our rag-tag team of travelers made their camp. It had begun to rain, so the two Earthbenders created a shelter for everyone. It was a simple structure, but effective; just a dome-like dwelling that accommodated everyone, and had a small hole in the ceiling to allow the smoke from the fire to escape. It was unseasonably cold, and everyone huddled close together. It was getting late into the night, but the storm was so loud that no one could sleep.

"Shh." Lan-Yin tried to calm her baby, who was getting very upset by the storm.

Kanna was still pretty new to experiencing life outside of the Northern Water Tribe, so she was still unaccustomed to lightning. Akeela was having a nervous breakdown, and was clutching onto Hama as though his life depended on it; Hama looked irritated by his actions, but secretly she was comforted by the close contact. Lin eyed Shen warily, as if warning him not to make a move or suffer the severe consequences. Xia was positively shaking; she held onto Tao and tried to hide under one of Lakshmi's legs.

"You all are a bunch of sissies." Hama scoffed. "Scared of a little storm?"

Everyone just looked at her, a little bit of worry on their faces. Hama just let out an irritated snort.

"I know what we can do to pass the time." She continued. "We can tell stories."

"You mean like the one you told us in the Heng Mountains?" Lin inquired.

"It can be, if you all want scary stories. But I was thinking more along the lines of folklore and legends. Stuff to do with our cultures."

"I've got one. It's the story of The Blind Bandit, an old Earth Kingdom legend." Everyone directed their attention to Lin. "It was many years ago, in my hometown of Gaoling, back in the days when it was just a small farming village. There was a young girl, her family owned one of the farms and they all worked very hard to scrape out a living. Then came the day when the tyrant, who ruled most of the Earth Kingdom in those days, began issuing heavy taxes. People were starving and if they couldn't pay the tax, they would be imprisoned. The girl lost her whole family because of the tax, but she escaped and hid in the woods. The girl was a gifted Earthbender, and while in hiding she continued to practice. Soon, the carts that collected the taxes were being raided and the money distributed to the local peasantry; reports given by the men who were attacked, described their attacker as a young woman. Eventually, the tyrant had had enough of the raids on his tax collections, so he sent in his army to find the one responsible. They found her, it was the same girl, but she didn't come quietly and many of the soldiers were injured trying to control her. When they dragged her before the tyrant, he ordered that she be blinded so she would never pose any threat again. Once she had been released, though, the raids on the tax collections became worse than ever. Only now they were committed by a woman that was dubbed 'The Blind Bandit', and she was unbeatable. The tyrant realized too late that he had done a favor to the woman by blinding her, as it had somehow made her an undefeatable Earthbender. The tyrant then decided to find out how the woman had learned to become so powerful, so he sought her out. When he confronted her, he foolishly decided to go alone thinking that she wouldn't know who it was. She said she would teach him how to fight like her, and told him to tie a cloth around his eyes. When he complied, she snuck up behind him and stabbed him to death with her dagger. She had decided not to kill him with her Earthbending because it would be shameful to waste her powers on such an evil man. Because of what she had done, The Blind Bandit was named a hero and the Earth Kingdom was finally liberated from the tyrant."

Everyone clapped in appreciation for the story.

"Cool story, Lin." Hama said. "Anyone else have one?"

Xia then put her hand up and waved it enthusiastically.

"Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me! Pick me!"

"Fine, what's your story?"

"It's the story of the Wind King and the sky-bison. Back in the days before my people learned Airbending, we were ruled by a kind and generous king, named Jamyang. Jamyang had seen how people were beginning to master elements and thought that his people should do the same. Jamyang traveled to the three Bending lands, but he couldn't learn any of the elements. It wasn't that he didn't try, it was the fact that he felt everything was too limiting and the same, he wanted to master an element that represented his people. He then journeyed up to the highest mountain in the world, and sat in meditation. Soon, he heard a strange noise behind him, when he turned he saw a large creature, now known as the sky-bison. King Jamyang then withdrew an apple from his pocket and offered it to the animal, who took the offering gratefully. The sky-bison then let King Jamyang ride on his back, and they took off into the sky. As they flew, Jamyang saw how the sky-bison could control the air, and he knew that that was the perfect element for his people. The sky-bison he had befriended flew him back to his people, and together they taught them how to Airbend. King Jamyang was named the Wind King because he was the first human to Airbend. However, Jamyang soon realized that in order for his people to truly understand the freedom involved in Airbending, they needed to cut themselves off from the world. So, he led his people back to the mountain where he had first learned of the sky-bison, and together they constructed the Northern Air Temple. Over time, the three other Air Temples came into being, and the Air Nomad civilization began. The end."

"Cute story, sunshine." Lin said as everyone clapped.

"I have a story," said Lan-Yin, "it's a ghost story, but it's not scary."

Everyone raised their eyebrows.

"In the Fire Nation, we have a festival in honor of the dead, it takes place in the Fall, right at the time when Winter is about to begin. It is a custom that has been around since the earliest days of the Fire Nation, and is a sacred time for everyone. It was on that night that our story will take place, but you must first understand what happened before the event. There was a little girl, and she lived in a beautiful house on an island with her mother and father who loved her very much. The girl and her father were very close, he was her inspiration and she was his treasure. One of the reasons why the couple loved their daughter so much was because they had thought they would never have a child, and by the time they were starting to get old they were certain they wouldn't, but then their daughter came along and she brightened their lives. One night, as the family lay sleeping, the volcano that was on the island erupted; the girl's father hurried everyone out, making sure they all got to the boats while he tried to stop the volcano with his Bending. The girl, her mother, and all the other residents of the island watched in fear; eventually the volcano stilled, then a wave of ashes poured out of it, the girl's father had died. Years later, it was the festival of the dead. The girl and her mother came and placed offerings at the shrine for the girl's father; the girl had been troubled, she had fallen in love with a young man but wasn't sure if her father would approve of him. When she prayed at her father's shrine, she begged him to let her know if the man met with his approval, because she would never marry anyone that her father didn't like. The young man she was in love with eventually joined her for the rest of the festivities; unbeknownst to them, the spirit of the girl's father was watching, and he had decided upon three tests for the young man to see how worthy he was. Firstly, the girl stumbled over a tree root she hadn't seen, but the man caught her before she fell. Second, as they were walking around the festival, someone accidentally spilled their drink on the girl's dress; the girl became upset and embarrassed, but the young man took off his cloak and draped it around her so the stain was hidden. And finally, there was a dancing part of the festival, the girl had no idea how to dance and didn't stand up, but the man took her hands and led her to the dance floor, helping her to learn. That night, as the girl slept, she had a dream; in the dream she found herself on a mountaintop that overlooked a misty valley. The girl then turned when she heard a voice, it was her father. He looked at her with loving eyes and said, 'My child, you have grown up so much. It makes me proud to see what a beautiful woman you've become, and that you've found a young man who is worthy of you. Three times tonight he proved himself: first, he stopped you from falling, showing that he will protect you; second, he showed himself to be caring when he gave up his cloak in order to save you from embarrassment; and thirdly, he was able to help you to take a risk and learn, you have never danced before but he challenged you into discovering something new. I give my approval, and I hope you two will be happy.' The father and daughter both had tears in their eyes, they knew that time was short and that might be their only meeting for a long time, so as they both faded out they whispered 'I love you' to each other."

As Lan-Yin had told her story, tears had come to her own eyes. Everyone knew that that story wasn't about just anyone, and it was very important to her. There was a moment of silence, until Kanna spoke up.

"I have one; it's a story from the Northern Water Tribe. It's the tale of the hero Honiahaka, and his battle with the demon spirits Istaqa, better known as coyote-man, and Talutah. Honiahaka was a young warrior in the Northern Water Tribe, he lived more than a thousand years ago but everyone remembers his story. It was in the days of the great chief Liwanu, and our tribe was experiencing a time of great prosperity. Liwanu had ordered that a great feast hall be built as a reminder of this golden age; it was a feast hall the likes of which had never been seen before. The first night the feast hall was used, there was a grand party with much eating and drinking and the telling of stories, especially of stories that celebrated the Moon and Ocean spirits. However, one being was not pleased by the festivities; Istaqa, a demon spirit, hated all that was joyous in the world, especially the Moon and Ocean spirits as they had been the ones to turn him into a coyote-like being for his crimes as a human. Istaqa had murdered his family, and offered them up as a sacrifice to barbaric false spirits. The Moon and Ocean had said to him 'Since you act like an animal, it is only fitting that you should be like one as well.' His hatred for the revelers in the feast hall grew as the night went on, and when they finally went to sleep, he conjured up a hideous plan. He crept into the feast hall, and tore several of the sleeping people to pieces and devoured their flesh. When the others awoke, they were met with the horrific sight. Everyone knew who it was that had caused such atrocities, and the feast hall was immediately evacuated. Chief Liwanu began to feel as though the spirits had become angry with him, each time a group men tried to take down Istaqa they had been ripped to pieces. Liwanu began to lose hope, until one day, Honiahaka journeyed from his home in one of the out-lying villages that reside outside the main city of the Northern Tribe. Honiahaka was the son of one of the village elders, a man revered for his bravery and his kindness, Honiahaka's father had once saved Liwanu's life, and that gesture had never been forgotten. When Liwanu learned that Honiahaka was coming, he felt his hope return as there had been rumors that the young warrior possessed supernatural strength that the spirits had given him. Honiahaka was unafraid of Istaqa, and claimed the would defeat him without even using a weapon, he swore to fight the monster with his bare hands as that was the method Istaqa had used to slay his victims. Honiahaka went to the feast hall and lay down in feigned sleep. Istaqa had become accustomed to haunting the feast hall, hoping that there was someone foolhardy enough to challenge him. His black heart leapt with malicious glee at the sight of the young warrior, seemingly fast asleep. He reached down to grab Honiahaka and tear him to pieces, when the warrior seized him by his arm and began to grapple with him. They created such a din that people rushed in to see what all the commotion was about. Istaqa, seeing that he couldn't win against such strength, tried to flee, but Honiahaka kept a firm hold on his arm until, eventually, the entire limb was ripped from the demon's body. Istaqa screamed in rage and pain as he fled into the night, where he bled to death. A great celebration was held to honor Honiahaka's achievement, and Liwanu promised him anything he desired. Honiahaka asked for the hand of Liwanu's beautiful daughter Tiponi, and of course Liwanu approved. However, the joy of the occasion turned to grief when Talutah, the mate of Istaqa, learned of what had happened. The vengeful creature crept into the feast hall, but accidentally caught the attention of the night-guards, causing her to panic and drag away one of the men who was asleep on the floor. When Liwanu heard what had happened he was grieved to discover that the man who had been taken was his only son, Prince Ashkii. Honiahaka was called upon once more, and Liwanu promised him that he would name him as his heir if he would avenge the death of his son. Honiahaka accepted and headed out to where the cave of Talutah was said to be; a place so feared that even the animals would rather face the hunters than go near it. Outside the cave, he found the gored body and severed head of Ashkii. Filled with a rage against the demon, he charged in. Talutah tried to rip her teeth into his throat but he was too quick, and grabbed one of the creature's own blades from its place against the side of the cave, and promptly sliced her head off. He then saw the body of Istaqa and decapitated him; he then carried the two heads back to the tribe where he showed them as proof of his victory. He then ordered a team to retrieve the body of the dead prince, and a funeral was held in his memory. In the end, Honiahaka married Princess Tiponi and eventually became the chief of the Northern Water Tribe."

"Whoa," Hama responded, "I didn't think there was anything good out of the Northern Tribe except _you_, Kanna; but I gotta say the Northern Water Tribe sure knows how to tell an epic story."

"Well, it's getting kinda late." Xia said with a yawn. "And the thunder and lightning seem to have stopped. Goodnight, everybody, this was so much fun."

With that said, everyone curled up to go to sleep. No one wanted to think about all the travelling they would be doing in the morning.

**Hey, everyone. Just wanted to apologize for keeping you waiting for so long; anyway, Jamyang is a Tibetan name that means "Gentle voice", Honiahaka is Cheyenne for "little wolf" and that story was loosely based on Beowulf, Liwanu is Miwok for "growl of a bear", Istaqa is Hopi for "coyote-man", Talutah is Sioux for "blood-red", Tiponi is Hopi for "child of importance", and Ashkii is Navajo for "boy". Hope you liked it. Reviews would be appreciated even if this is just filler. Thank you.**


	20. In Need of Direction

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**Hey, I'm back again. Sorry you all had to wait through a filler chapter, but I like doing stories within stories (And I will definitely be including more in future). Quick notice, I didn't realize until it was too late that the names Catori and Jamyang are actually names for girls but I used them for male characters, but, whatever, I think they fit nonetheless. Anywho, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

In Need of Direction

"How will we even know this place when we see it?" Hama whined as the group continued on their walking part of their journey. "It's not like we have a map or something. Does this place even _exist_? Because it sounds like a fable, a myth. If it was real, then why have we never heard about it before?"

"Oh my spirits!" Shen finally shouted. "Do you _ever_ shut up?"

That did not sit well with the Waterbender, who slapped him upside the head.

"Well," Kanna said, "Hama does pose a good point. We don't even know what we're looking for exactly. Xia," she turned to the Airbender, "did the woman say anything else about this city other than to head south?"

Xia paused, curling her index finger beneath her lower lip in a ponderous look. Then it hit her.

"Oh yeah! I can't believe I've been such a scatter-brain. I completely forgot to tell you the name! I guess I was so excited that I just said 'a city'." Everyone slapped their foreheads. "The lady said the city is named Hikaru."

"It means 'Light' in the ancient language." Lan-Yin pointed out. "So, it must be thousands of years old."

"Millions." Xia corrected her.

"I think I've heard the name before, it sounds very familiar." Lan-Yin racked her brain for all the stories she had heard as a child. What could it be? Why was the name so familiar? That was when a memory surfaced.

She had to have been no more than five when she heard the word, but the memory flooded back as if by a supernatural power. Her father had taken her to the Crescent Island where the Fire Sages had been working on a temple to honor him; he led her by the hand as they entered the sanctuary room where his statue would eventually be placed. Her father had been pointing out things on the celestial calendar on the floor, when all of a sudden the light touched the spot where the statue would be set, so that light reflecting through the red sun-stone would illuminate it on the solstice. Her father then held her close when they heard the sanctuary door close and lock itself behind them and the room began to fade into darkness. Lan-Yin knew that something strange was going on; temples often had strange stories about them, like eyes of statues glowing or spirits haunting their halls. Being Avatar Roku's daughter, Lan-Yin had been deeply immersed in spiritualism and the unnatural forces that guided the world, but she had never expected to see an actual spirit appear before her. The figure was a woman with long, dark-brown hair that was straight and loose with the exception of hair-loopies like the ones that Kanna had that connected to a topknot that was fastened with a silver crown in the shape of a lotus blossom. The woman glowed with an ethereal, bluish light that seemed to only enhance the dark-purple color of her fur-trimmed gown. Lan-Yin remembered how her father relaxed at the sight of this woman, and she noticed that he had a look of recognition on his face.

"_Avatar Roku," the woman had said, "there is a time of great trouble coming."_

"_Do you mean Sozin?" Roku asked._

"_Yes, he still plans on his war. And I sense that you will be unable to stop him in time."_

"_What?"_

"_It is true. As long as you live, he will not dare to threaten the peace, but on the day you join the rest of us in the Spirit World, he will act."_

"_I will not allow him to do such a thing. If he makes one move in that direction, I will stop him."_

_The woman sighed, but Lan-Yin couldn't tell if it was in relief or sadness. _

"_Why, if I may ask, have __**you**__ come instead of Avatar Kyoshi? She is supposed to be my guide in matters of the Spirit World." Roku continued._

"_Because I have more to tell you. Many millennia ago; I founded a city that I named Hikaru. In several decades time, my city will be discovered and threatened. Hikaru must not be found by the Fire Nation, or it would mean the end of everything for those who reside there."_

"_What must be done? How can I protect Hikaru?"_

"_**You**__ cannot, but that child in your arms will be there to help those who can."_

"_Me?" Lan-Yin had asked nervously, and the woman smiled in response._

"_Yes, child," she answered, "you and several others shall protect my city, but not until many years have passed and you are strong enough. You will journey to the Hayete Cliffs, hidden deep within the Earth Kingdom. You shall find your way if you follow the path made by the Crystal Waterfall. From there, you will face three great challenges that were made by the spirits to protect the way to the city."_

"_What are the challenges?"_

"_I cannot tell you, and you will not remember this conversation when you return to the Mortal World. You will only remember when you are near to the waterfall. May good luck guide you, child."_

It had all come back, just like that; so suddenly that she wasn't even sure if she had really remembered it or if she had somehow fallen into a daydream. All the same, she felt it was the only possibility of finding the city, and protecting it.

"We're near to where we need to be." Lan-Yin told the others. "We need to look for something called the Crystal Waterfall."

Everyone gave her strange looks.

"And how do you know?" Hama inquired.

"I just...know."

"Okay, you've gone up to like a ten on the weirdness scale."

Lan-Yin threw the Waterbender a look, but the team set to work trying to find this waterfall that she mentioned. Hama raised her hands and concentrated; if there was a large source of water nearby, she was the girl to find it. Soon she picked up the sensation of rushing water, she'd recognize it anywhere. Focusing on the source of water, feeling the push and pull it gave off, she led them through the woodlands, into a clearing where a waterfall poured down its mighty blast of life-giving liquid. The water rained down, mighty and streaked with silvery tints that reflected around the clearing. Everyone was amazed that such a massive waterfall could be so impossible to hear unless you were right up close to it; perhaps it was something about the acoustics of the beautiful wonder of nature that kept the sound of its tumult deafened to the ears of ordinary passers-by.

"Okay, we've found this waterfall or whatever, now what?" Hama asked.

"I'm not exactly sure." Lan-Yin replied. Something about this didn't seem quite right, they had found it much too easily. "I don't think this is right."

"Are you kidding? This _has_ to be right. How many other waterfalls do you see?"

But, Lan-Yin's gaze had shifted and now rested on a small opening in the rock-face of the cliff over which the water flowed. Handing her infant daughter to Kanna, she began to move closer. The opening was fairly narrow, but they could all probably slip inside except for Lakshmi. Lan-Yin slipped into the opening, not even caring that the rough rocks scratched at her plain Earth Kingdom dress that she had donned since her abandonment of the Fire Nation. She slowly edged along, finally reaching the end of the passage. She leapt gracefully to the floor, which was a few feet down, and gasped at what she beheld.

"Hey!" She called back. "I think I now know why it's called the _Crystal_ Waterfall!"

The others soon followed after her. Xia had left Lakshmi behind to wait for them, certain that the bison would be just fine. When they all reached where Lan-Yin had been waiting, they too stared in awe of the impressive sight before them. It was a vast cavern, with many different kinds of crystals protruding all over the place, and one feature in particular caught their attention. It was a waterfall, much smaller than the one outside, which flowed down from a wall of rainbow-colored crystals that seemed to cast brilliant forms over the walls, bizarre figures that looked almost animal-like in shape.

"Yeah, I think _this_ is more likely to be the place." Lin stated.

They all noticed a large tunnel at the back of the chamber, beside the waterfall, and they all reasoned that it was the only way to go. Lan-Yin knew that they had barely touched the tip of the iceberg with this quest, but she was confident that it would all work out in the long run.

**Sorry that this chapter is so short, but I've been dying to post something for this story recently and I don't know if I'll be able to update anytime soon, so please be patient with me as I have a lot of work to do before I can get back to the wonderful world of fanfiction. **


	21. The First Trial: Fear

Kanna's Story: The Journey

**I'm finally back, and once more, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The First Trial

Fear

"We've been walking for hours!" Hama whined. "This is worse than when we were stuck in those tunnels near Omashu."

"At least it's only one tunnel, and it's illuminated." Kanna pointed out, and then stopped. "Wait a second."

"Huh? Kanna, what's wrong?" Akeela asked.

"Something none of us have noticed. We've been so focused on the tunnel that we didn't really pay any attention to it."

"What?" Lin inquired.

"The tunnel, it's illuminated by torches."

"Yeah, so?"

"Then _who_ lit them?"

Everyone froze as panic began to overtake them. They really hadn't noticed the torches, and they all felt stupid for not realizing sooner that someone _had to_ have lit them. An eerie wind blew through the tunnel, making everyone shiver. Then, suddenly, every torch in the tunnel went out. That's when the serious panicking began. Everyone was screaming, running left and right, bumping into each other. Then, silence. Each one of them called out, but none of the others heard them.

* * *

"Hello?" Kanna asked. She was really scared now. "Guys? Hello? Anyone there?"

That's when she heard the sound of scuttling, like many tiny legs moving about in the darkness. Being raised in the Northern Water Tribe, Kanna was very familiar with the story of Avatar Kuruk and Koh the Face-stealer. Koh was the spirit that all creatures, both human and spirit, feared above all others. Kanna especially was terrified of the legend of the giant centipede-type creature that could take away a person's face if they expressed any emotion in his presence. Kanna's heartbeat picked up its pace as she began to powerwalk away from the sounds, but they just got louder. Then, she heard a voice, something that could only have come out of her most horrible nightmares.

"It's been a while since I've taken the face of a princess."

Kanna instantly wiped all emotions from her face, not daring to let her sheer terror show through.

"Tell me, Princess Kanna of the Northern Water Tribe, why have you come to the caves of Hayate?"

"M-my friends and I are looking for Hikaru. We were told to go there."

"Oh, you were indeed? Unfortunately, I cannot let just anyone pass through."

"Why is this room in darkness? If I can't see you, then how do you expect me to reveal any emotions so you can steal my face?"

The spirit chuckled, it was a creepy sound and almost made Kanna want to cringe, but she kept her face blank.

"Clearly nothing escapes your notice after all. I am not permitted to show myself in the Mortal World, you cannot see me but I can see you."

A chill ran up Kanna's spine.

"What will convince you to let me pass?"

"Proof. You need to prove that you are truly worthy to enter such a sacred place as Hikaru." The spirit moved so that Kanna felt as if he had encircled her, trapping her in place. Through the darkness, she could just make out the presence of two, clear eyes staring at her. "If you proceed forward, you will come to a deep gorge. Across the gorge is a narrow plank of wood that serves as a bridge. If you fall into the gorge, the drop is so deep and the rocks so jagged that you will meet your death. If you cross the bridge successfully, you will have earned the right to continue forwards. If you turn back now, you might not find your way back in the darkness. So, what shall it be?"

Kanna gulped nervously, but kept her expression neutral, and began to walk forward slowly. Soon, her foot tapped against something made of wood. _This must be it_ she thought. Stepping onto the plank, she began to cautiously make her way forward. She was trembling with fear, she couldn't see anything and the board was fairly shaky. Her heart was beating so fast now that Kanna was certain it would bust straight out of her chest. But she kept moving, always putting one foot in front of the other, never once stopping. She heaved a sigh of relief when she finally reached the other side of the gorge. She took a moment to catch her breath, when she suddenly heard the sound of clapping. She opened her eyes, as she had shut them for a brief moment, and she saw that the whole area was illuminated by torches that had just come to life without any explanation at all. She turned around and saw that the 'gorge' was nothing more than a small pit, maybe only three feet deep. The clapping got louder and Kanna was sure that it was right behind her. She turned again and saw a shadowy figure. The figure was clearly human, just shrouded in darkness.

"Well done, Kanna. Well done indeed."

"Who are you? Where are my friends? What just happened?"

The figure didn't respond and instead retreated back into the tunnel from which it had come. Kanna hurried after the figure, still demanding explanations.

* * *

Lin focused her energy and sent a sonic sense wave throughout the area, desperately searching for her friends or at least a way out. But, for the first time ever, it turned up nothing. She tried several more times, but always the same result came back. For the first time in ages, Lin Lao was genuinely terrified.

"Your Earthbending is useless here." Came a voice that seemed to come from nowhere. Lin couldn't tell if it was male or female, but one thing was certain, it was creepy.

"What do you mean?" Lin snapped. "Who are you? Where are you?"

"I am…the Unknown."

"Yeah that's helpful." Lin said sarcastically as she crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

"It's not about what _I_ want. It's about what _you_ need."

"O_kay_. Why can't I Earthbend? And where are my friends?"

"Your friends will meet you at the end. Probably."

"Probably?"

"Who knows how many of them will make it out alive?"

"If you've done _anything_ to them, I will-"

"You'll _what_? Face it, Lin, you can't do anything against me. As for why you can't Earthbend, let's just say I don't want any cheating in my little game."

Lin was getting really mad, mad and scared. Lin didn't scare easy, but this was something she didn't know how to handle. Being lost, alone, and completely powerless against a foe she couldn't even see, let alone sense through vibrations. Lin hadn't encountered not being able to sense things coming in a long time, in fact she had started to take the ability for granted, using it as a kind of reflex that she would just use subconsciously. But now, she didn't have it, she had no idea where she was going, or who was there, and that frightened her.

"Well," the voice continued, "I think it's time for the games to begin as they say."

"What games?"

"I know why you and your friends have come. You seek Hikaru. Well, you're not going to get there unless you complete my challenge."

"Which is?"

"You need to navigate your way through my labyrinth. No Bending, no sight, only your instincts. But, be warned, you never know what might be lurking in these caves."

With that said, the entity departed, chuckling wickedly.

Lin heaved a nervous sigh and began to walk forward anxiously. She stumbled a few times in the darkness, but always righted herself; she wouldn't let some stupid voice get the better of her. She had never felt so unsure of her own two feet before. She managed to find the walls of the cave and used them to lead her along. She turned a few corners, then more, it began to feel like the whole thing was made up of never-ending twists and turns, no sooner would she find a wall than she would come to a sharp corner and almost fall head-first into the black abyss. She heard weird noises, like rumbling and something that sounded like gears clanking. Eventually, she stopped attempting to find the walls and just kept walking straight through the darkness, until she bumped right into one wall that turned and revealed an illuminated passageway. As she entered the passage, she heard a familiar voice and turned to see Shen running over to her.

"Lin? What happened? Where did you go? Where is everyone?"

"You tell _me_." Lin demanded. "I just had to navigate my way through some crazy, messed-up labyrinth at the bidding of some creepy voice."

"Uh, Lin, is _that_ the labyrinth you're talking about?" Shen had turned to look at where Lin had just come from, and she responded in kind. It turns out it wasn't really a 'labyrinth', it was a series of large gates that had been plastered over with stones so they felt like tunnels in the darkness. The reason why Lin had been able to get through the thing when she stopped touching the walls was because the walls would move if you put weight against them. Lin felt embarrassed about the whole thing and a blush crept over her features.

"Let's just get out of here," she said, "this place gives me the creeps."

* * *

"For the love of Setna, where _is_ everyone." Hama thought aloud. "I mean _really_, freaking out over some stupid little black-out. What pansies."

Hama had been walking through the tunnel for what seemed like an eternity. Soon, she began to feel a chill, like a blizzard in the frozen tundra of home. Then, she began to feel as though a pair of eyes was on her, watching her predatorily. Then, she heard it, the sound of scratching, like claws digging in snow, and low growling. A shiver went up her spine, but not from the cold. Hama kept muttering to herself that it was just her imagination, that there's no such thing as Snow Wolves, that she was _not_ about to get eaten or turned into some sort of horrible, flesh-eating demon like the villagers who went missing in the legend. It kept getting colder and colder; she could practically feel the snow and ice hitting her face from an arctic wind. The sounds kept getting louder and louder. She became startled when something suddenly brushed against her leg, it felt like an animal, four-legged, and big, very big. Now, she was starting to get freaked out. She could feel each terrified beat of her heart with perfect clarity.

Suddenly, she felt something coil around her arms and legs; they felt like strings but more powerful. She began to feel herself being jerked about in different directions, her body moved of its own accord. She was terrified, she felt so weak and powerless against the invisible cords that twisted her about like she was a puppet, she hated feeling so defenseless. She had always hated feeling defenseless. In her mind, she thought she heard her mother's voice, calling her 'pathetic' and a 'weakling', nothing she ever did was good enough in her mother's eyes. Hama remembered how her mother, Master Waterbender Inanna, had always pushed her so hard, but it would never be enough; often she had felt that her mother controlled her life just as this strange force controlled her body, and it hit her. She didn't have to let anyone or anything control her, she could choose for herself and be more powerful than whoever or whatever it was that wanted to control her. As soon as she took a single step forward of her own accord, fighting against the power of the unseen assailant, she regained control over her entire body. The cold departed and the noises stopped. Instantly, rows of torches lit up along the tunnel, one after the other. Hama didn't wait for anything else to happen, she hightailed it out of there as fast as she could.

* * *

Kanna eventually reached the end of the tunnel; she saw light up ahead and ran straight towards it. Right behind her, running like a wolfbat outta Hell, was Akeela. When he saw his friend he hugged her, and then began a long stream of questions. Kanna didn't get to answer them right away as the others followed soon after. When Akeela saw Hama he rushed over and held her like he was afraid she would disappear forever.

"If you know what's good for you, Akeela, you'll let me go this instant before I stop breathing."

He immediately released her, not wanting to her to suffocate, or get angry at him. Everyone gathered around to relate what had happened to them. Every one of them had had some weird encounter with something that terrified them and posed some sort of challenge that they had to overcome. Once they had all divulged their experiences, they took a look at where they were. They were in a small clearing outside the mouth of the cave that was surrounded by jungle terrain, with one dirt path stretching through the dense foliage.

"But, what was that thing in the cave that caused all those things to happen?" Kanna asked.

"I don't know, and I don't think I want to." Hama replied.

"Whatever it was, it was really weird." Lin stated.

"I thought we were going to die." Lan-Yin said with a protective look at the child in her arms. "It was the most scared I've been in ages."

"Well, it's over now." Xia concluded. "And we have nothing to be afraid of anymore."

In the shadows, a figure in a dark robe loomed with a devious smirk on their face.

"That's what _you_ think."

**Finally! I managed to come up with something good for this chapter. I apologize for how long it took, but I hit a creative roadblock. I wasn't feeling creative enough to go into every one of the different experiences in the tunnel; I just went with the characters I thought would have the most interesting ones. Just so you know, it was not actually Koh or Hakidonmuya in the tunnels, it was something pretending to be them in order to play on the personal fears of the characters. Notice how Hama's experience is totally foreshadowing what happens in the series. Well, thanks for reading. Please review.**


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